Super Robot Wars S Revamped
by Lily Nadesico
Summary: A rewrite of my previous Super Robot Wars S story. In Space Century 141, an experimental weapon called Excellence, along with its pilot Fiona Greyden and her friends Lahge and Mizuho find themselves in the midst of a chaotic situation, as they struggle to bring order to a world heading towards destruction. Series list inside.
1. Prologue

**Super Robot Taisen S**

 **A Super Robot Taisen fanfiction By Lily Nadesico**

 **oooooooooo**

 **Disclaimer: Okay, let´s do this again. All the characters, robots and general trademarks used in this fanfiction are property of their respective companies (Sunrise, Banpresto, etc.). They have been used without permission and without personal profit, just for the sake of writing a story. Therefore, I kindly ask of you not to sue me.**

 **You might wonder why I decided to overhaul my previous SRW story, and rewrite it with what really amounts to little more than a few changes. The truth is, the project had become a little cluttered. There were many ideas I wanted to implement which were a last-minute addition, and in the meanwhile, I´ve even seen several new series like Cross Ange, Captain Earth, GaoGaiGar and many others that I just couldn´t resist implementing in my story. Therefore, I decided that, for the sake of a coherent story, I needed to rewrite what I had already done and add a few more elements that would preserve story coherence. The story, as before, takes inspiration from Super Robot Wars R, a particularly fun game for the Game Boy Advance which I've completed a few times already.**

 **You won´t see that many differences from the original story, but I assure you, what you see will make sense later on. For now, I hope you will enjoy the reworked list of series, and hopefully it´s going to be enough to put you in an expectant mood for the rest of the story!**

 **With that said, on with the story!**

 **oooooooooo**

 **Chapter 01 - Prologue**

 _Progress. Knowledge. Ambition. These are the operative words when talking about human evolution. Since ancient times, man always wanted to understand and control his surroundings. Unique among all the living beings on Earth, mankind was able to develop the intelligence needed to not only adapt to the surrounding environment, but to also adapt the environment itself to itself. This has been a constant in the long history of mankind... and now, it has allowed humanity to spread into space and begin exploring new horizons._

 _More than one century has gone by since humanity began leaving the over-populated Earth and creating space colonies: huge satellites in which mankind was able to recreate the living conditions present on Earth, allowing the survival and reproduction of plants and animals, and creating huge space cities who prosper thanks to these resources. New cities were built on the surfaces of the Moon and Mars, paving the road to further progress._

 _Unfortunately, when speaking of human history, we cannot leave out another crucial constant._

 _War. The desire to fight, destroy, overcome others. An instinct also common to animals, and an instinct of which mankind, despite its superior intelligence and resources, was still unable to get rid. Technologic and scientific progress, unfortunately, also has its negative side: in fact, all these new abilities have often been turned to serve mankind's most primal instincts, spreading death and suffering on an ever-expanding scale. Even in the future, even in the space colonies era, this tendency has remained._

 _The old, weak and corrupt Earth Federation considered the colonies' inhabitants as second-class citizens, depriving them of many resources and forcing them to submit to its will to survive. This situation degenerated with time, and the battles for the colonies' independence become more and more violent... until the Side 3 colonies, united under the name of Principality of Zeon, declared themselves independent, starting what would later be known as the devastating One Year War. To further aggravate the situation, another arbitrary distinction among human beings intervened - on one side, the Coordinators, genetically enhanced human beings; and on the other, the natural-born Naturals. These two "factions" looked to each other with mixed feelings of suspect, fear and envy, thickening the already-present tension..._

 _The fighting between Earthnoids and Spacenoids, between Coordinators and Naturals, did not end with the war, and continued with numerous colonial riots and terroristic operations, chief among which the so-called Operation Stardust, in which a group of Zeon remnants stole the Gundam GP-02A Physalis, a top secret Federation Mobile Suit prototype, and managed to hijack an empty colony and drop it on Earth, causing serious damage to the planet's ecosystems. Following this incidents, the Titans and the Specials division (aka OZ) were founded - the former, an anti-Spacenoid suppression force, noted for its brutal and ruthless methods; and the latter, the military branch of the warmongering Romefeller Foundation. To add to that, numerous government organizations were born with the objective to put a stop to genetic engineering and halt Coordinator progress... chief among those, a fanatical environmentalist group known as Blue Cosmos, whose leaders maintained that Coordinators had to be ostracized and exterminated to "preserve a blue and pure world" and to safeguard humankind' genetic heritage._

 _Needless to say, such actions could only exacerbate tensions... and following two extremely tragic accidents (the Titans' complete extermination through nervine gas of a dissident colony, and the destruction of a PLANT through nuclear warheads - which would later be known as Bloody Valentine Tragedy for the fact that it happened on the 14th of February) which cost Spacenoids more than half a million victims, several rebellious organization were born, among which the Anti-Earth United Government (A.E.U.G.), the Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty (ZAFT) and the more sinister White Fang. War broke out, only ending when the Titans, Romefeller Foundation and White Fang were destroyed along with ther leaders. Exhausted by the continuous wars, Earthnoids and Spacenoids embraced the ideals of Total Pacifism, allowing the Federation to be reborn as the Earth Union. Blue Cosmos, which had manipulated events from the shadows, was forced into hiding, and ZAFT momentarily ceased hostilities. Human beings had finally ceased fighting amongst themselves..._

 _Alas, this was not to last. As if waiting for the right time, numerous alien invaders tried to take advantage of the reduction of military resources to attack the near-defenseless Earth Union. Mikene Empire, the robotic entities known as Gulfer, the space pirate fleet known as Bunker, the faceless monsters known as Zeravire, the cyborg invaders called Meganoids, mysterious aliens only known as Jovian Lizards, the monstrous spacefaring parasites known as Radam, and the forces of the allied planets Cambell and Boazan. At the same time, the Principality of Zeon was reborn as Neo Zeon on the minerary asteroid of Axis, and started an aggressive expansion campaign... and the lunar colonies, joined under the banner of Giganos Empire, declared war on the Union, calling for a new order under the "enlightened" guidance of the spaceborn generation. Such a disastrous set of invasions was only stemmed thanks to the intervention of powerful "Super Robots": Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger, Getter Robo, Gear Fighter Dendoh, Daitarn 3, Gravion and others, as well as the estabilishment of the special defense force known as the space Knights, under the command of the capable Commander Heinrich von Freeman. At the same time, the war effort was helped along by the invention of the IS, powered exoskeletons capable of outfighting entire Mobile Suit fleets, but only usable by women for some undisclosed reason…_

 _ZAFT, led by the radical Patrick Zala, had opened hostilities once again, by hijacking four powerful Gundam-type Mobile Suits. This event was only part of a criminal plan to exterminate the Naturals, and only the courage and tenacity of several Union aces, such as the Newtype pilots Amuro Rei, Kamille Vidan, Judau Ashta, and of the crew of the warships Archangel, Idaho and Nadesico managed to avert disaster. But the net result was that the peace everyone was calling for had been shown to be nothing more than an illusion._

 _Bitter criticism was leveled towards Total Pacifism, and a devastating coup collapsed the Earth Union and marked the birth of the New Earth Federation, under Chairman Dekim Barton. Relationships with Spacenoids, that had been more friendly during the time of the Earth Union, degenerated once again, and new hostilities started between the New Federation and the second Neo Zeon uprising, under the guidance of the infamous Colonel Char Aznable. As if this wasn't enough, ZAFT was attacking once again, and Blue Cosmos was coming out of hiding, backed up by the shadowy LOGOS..._

 _Space Century, Year 141. Five years after Dekim Barton's coup, in a faraway lunar base, the final test runs of a new weapon were about to start... a weapon destined to have a huge impact on humanity's blind rush towards self-destruction..._

 **oooooooooo**

 **And welcome to my next endeavor in the world of Super Robot Taisen! I was not really satisfied with how the original was turning out, so I decided to revamp the project completely, with my good friend EmperorDraco7 lending a hand with the storytelling. I really hope you will be satisfied with the end results.**

 **Series List:**

 **SEASON 1**

 **-Mobile Suit Gundam (Zeta, ZZ, Char's Counterattack)**

 **-Mobile Fighter G Gundam**

 **-New Mobile Report Gundam Wing (Endless Waltz)**

 **-Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (with elements from the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED manga by Iwase, the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Re: manga, the video game Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Never-Ending Tomorrow, the video game Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Tomo to kimi to Koko de and the HD Remaster)/ SEED Astray (with some SEED Astray R and SEED X Astray influences)**

 **-Martian Successor Nadesico (with some elements from Prince of Darkness)**

 **-Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (with some elements from Nightmare of Nunnally, the OZ the Reflection manga and Lost Colors)**

 **-Metal Armor Dragonar**

 **-Aura Battler Dunbine**

 **-Linebarrels of Iron (manga, with some anime influences)**

 **-Jinki: Extend (Venezuela arc)**

 **-Infinite Stratos (season 1)**

 **-Full Metal Panic! (with some elements from Fumoffu and some FMP manga influences)**

 **-Space Knight Tekkaman Blade (first half)**

 **-Masou Kishin: Lord of Elementals (first half)**

 **-Neon Genesis Evangelion (with some Rebuild influences)**

 **-Mazinger Z + Great Mazinger**

 **-Getter Robo (classic series)**

 **-Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3**

 **-Invincible Superman Zambot 3**

 **-Super Electromagnetic Machine Voltes V**

 **-Super Electromagnetic Robot Combattler V**

 **-Battle Commander Daimos**

 **-Super Beast Machine God Dancougar**

 **-Super Heavyweight God Gravion**

 **-Hyper Combat Unit Dangaioh**

 **-Lagrange: the Flower of Rin-ne (season 1)**

 **-Gear Fighter Dendoh**

 **-Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (season 1)**

 **oooooooooo**

 **SEASON 2**

 **-Mobile Suit Victory Gundam**

 **-Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn**

 **-Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (with some elements from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny: The Edge, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Stargazer and the HD Remaster) / Delta Astray / VS Astray)**

 **-Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 / OZ of the Reflection / Akito the Exiled**

 **-Martian Successor Nadesico (some elements from the video game Nadesico: The Mission)**

 **-Space Knight Tekkaman Blade (second half + OVA)**

 **-Jinki: Extend (Tokyo arc)**

 **-Infinite Stratos (season 2)**

 **-Undefeated Bahamut Chronicles (mostly light novel with some anime elements)**

 **-Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid (some elements from the manga and light novels)**

 **-Masou Kishin: Lord of Elementals (second half)**

 **-Brain Powered**

 **-Aura Battler Dunbine: The Wings of Rean**

 **-Overman King Gainer**

 **-Valvrave the Liberator**

 **-Buddy Complex (with some elements from the side story Coupling of Battlefield)**

 **-Cross Ange: Rondo of Angels and Dragons**

 **-Idolmaster: Xenoglossia**

 **-Neon Genesis Evangelion (elements from Rebuild, the Adeptus Evangelion tabletop game, the End of Evangelion and the ANIMA light novels)**

 **-Mazinkaiser**

 **-UFO Robot Grendizer**

 **-Super Beast Machine Dancougar Nova**

 **-Super Heavyweight God Gravion Zwei**

 **-Aquarion Logos**

 **-Great Dangaioh**

 **-Captain Earth**

 **-Regalia: The Three Sacred Stars**

 **-Lagrange: the Flower of Rin-ne (season 2)**

 **-Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (season 2)**

 **-Deus Machina Demonbane**

 **oooooooooo**

 **I know, this is quite a huge list... but hey, I wanted this to be my most ambitious project yet, so... and hey, the series list for the Z series was pretty huge as well. Consider this a test of my writing skills, okay?**

 **Oh, and just because I think it´s only right to warn my readers - a few pairings, especially those from Gundam, will be different from canon. I will admit without shame that I still am a fan of the Kira / Flay, Athrun / Cagalli, Shinn / Stellar, Ichika / Charlotte, Shinji / Rei and Haruto / Saki pairings, so those will be used. Sorry, fans, this is non-negotiable. As for Transformers, GaoGaiGar and others... those will be used in other stories, so don't think I ever forgot about them!  
**

 **Several OCs will also star in this story, several of which will be taken from other SRW episodes... and several of which will be transpositions of the cast of Guilty Crown in a mecha anime setting! Yeah, I thought those characters were interesting enough that I wanted to use them in my story as well... There will also be OCs that fellow author and friend of mine EmperorDraco7 has given me permission to use for this story!**

 **That´s about it, for now. I should be able to re-upload the next chapter soon, so... keep an eye out on this!**

 **And I'll try to keep working on my Pokemon fics and my God of War / Dante's Inferno crossover too, they've been left there long enough. Sorry... :)**

 **Lily**


	2. Weapon on Trial

**SUPER ROBOT WARS S REVAMPED**

 **oooooooooo**

 **Chapter 2 – Weapon on Trial**

Raul Grayden sighed as he was inside the testing facility within Morengeroete, while he was grateful that today was the day that he will be testing his Excellence Frame…. he can't help but feel that it couldn't have happened at a worse possible time especially because of the events that had occurred on the Earth and one of which was the destruction of the famed ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam at the hands of ZAFT's ZGMF-56S/a Force Impulse Gundam during a battle following the existence of the mysterious organization known as LOGOS by the PLANTs' Supreme Council Chairman Gilbert Durandal but it was fortunate that the Freedom's pilot Kira Yamato managed to save himself at the very last minute by shutting off his Gundam's Neutron Jammer Canceller, ensuring his survival but now the former Earth Alliance warship the LCAM-01XA Archangel only had the MBF-02 Strike Rouge and a few MVF-M11C Murasames onboard.

"I wonder how Fiona, Lahge and Mitsuko are doing with their own test…" he gave a small sigh, especially as he knew that elsewhere, his sister and their two friends were testing the Excellence Frame that Fiona had been assigned but sometimes wished he could pay them a visit yet with everything that too place up to this day, he was unable to do so. Yet, he was also curious the three patients that were currently in the Archangel's infirmary, one of them was a high-ranking Earth Alliance pilot who got captured following the Freedom disabling that purple GAT-04+AQM/E-A4E1 Jet Windam at Berlin prior to the destruction of the ZGMF-X24S Chaos Gundam and the GFAS-X1 Destroy Gundam during that exact same battle.

The other two were soldiers of ZAFT, one was male and wore the red uniform worn by elites and the other was a female wearing the green uniform but he had to admit that she looked pretty cute yet at the same time was weary of the fact the Archangel is allowing three captured enemy soldiers heal in the infirmary yet from what he could tell… the male redcoat had suffered from massive injuries during an escape from ZAFT's Gibraltar base. "You okay Raul?" he heard something calling him and caused the male red-head to turn to see who it was, it's a lovely young woman around 18 years of age, with short light brown hair, ocean blue eyes and donning the female version of the Orb military uniform yet he's rather familiar with her since they've first met sometime after she became officially rejoined the Archangel when Lacus Clyne and Andrew Waltfeld stole a shuttle from ZAFT in order to return to space.

"Yeah, I'm alright" answered Raul, surprised that Miriallia Haw was checking up on him especially as he's aware that the brunette was friends with Kira back before they first became part of the Archangel's crew two or three years ago though he looked away. "What brings you here Miriallia?"

Mir gave a small shrug, having a feeling that Raul would ask such a question. "I just wanted to see how you were doing, especially after hearing you've been asked to test the Excellence Frame that Morgenroete mysteriously received" she replied back, the young man rarely interacted with anyone his age other than Lahge, Fiona and Mitsuko but who could blame him.

There was silence from the newly assigned pilot, especially after she mentioned it then decided to change the subject on the matter. "How's your friend holding up?" he asked, referring to Kira due to the brown-haired Coordinator feeling rather down ever since the Impulse destroyed the Freedom.

"He's doing a lot better than he did when Cagalli recovered him and the Freedom's cockpit from the ocean" said Mir, a bit relieved that Kira is starting to feel better yet at the same time was concerned since he felt that he won't be able to fight his opponents without the machine that Lacus gave to him in the PLANTs during the first war between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance despite the fact Orb has plenty of other mobile suits for him to pilot. "As for Athrun, he's pretty banged up along with that red-haired girl he had with him… even I'm wondering what could have happened that led to it."

"You and me both, besides are you sure we can trust those two as well as that other guy?" he decided to ask her, especially as he's rather wearily of anyone from ZAFT or the EA since he has been informed that they tried to outright exterminate each other in the latter battles of the first war and had a feeling they might do so again in this conflict. "After all, aside from ZAFT and the Earth Alliance, we also have the Titans and Neo-Zeon to worry about as well as those alien invaders."

"Don't remind me… as for the three onboard, I knew Athrun since the first war as he did come to our aid when the Earth Alliance attacked Orb plus he's Kira's best friend and he contributed in helping us bring an end to the original conflict alongside my ex-boyfriend Dearka Elsman" the moment that Mir mentioned Dearka's name, she lowered her head as she hadn't forgotten the event where she nearly killed him at JOSH-A after he was captured though later saved his life when a former friend of hers tried to do the same thing and when the first war ended, he had long since rejoined the ZAFT military but was demoted to greencoat due to having betrayed his comrade to assist the Three Ships Alliance. "While I'm not sure about the red-haired girl he had with him, but she seems trustworthy since she nearly died with him and right now Cagalli is looking after them…. The Earth Alliance pilot we captured at Berlin on the other hand, the scar on his face non-withstanding, he feels familiar but it couldn't be him as we saw what happened when…"

She stopped herself from finishing her sentence as memories of when the Archangel fought its sister-ship known as the LCAM-01XB Dominion which was under the command of Natarle Badgirule, former CEO on the Archangel and Muruta Azrael, the original leader Blue Cosmos in the first war, both warships took damage from their confrontation and when the badly damaged GAT-X105+ AQM/E-X01 Aile Strike Gundam was returning to its mother ship with the medical crew on standby to bring the pilot to the infirmary when he came onboard, the Dominion was shown to have four escape shuttles leaving it which confused her and the other members of the crew at first until the Dominion fired its Lohengrin Cannon at them… originally expecting to die from the blast, they were shocked when the Strike had used its shield to block the blast however, it would be too powerful to withstand as the Gundam was destroyed along with the Aile Striker and its shield but never the less, the Archangel was saved. Yet to Captain Murrue Ramius, the one she loved had been piloting the Strike and she cried in anguish before retaliating, resulting in the Dominon's destruction at the hands of the Archangel's own Lohengrin Cannon.

Needless to say, Raul was silent as he had no idea that two of the three patients were people that Mir knew though it made him regret having asked her about them in the first place. "Sorry to hear that then, I had no idea that knew two of them personally" he responded, looking away from her again though the brunette gave him a light smile.

"Don't worry about it, you couldn't have known…" she replied back, especially as the sacrifices that came to be in the first war in a way contributed to its end before things got more hellish than before yet there was something else that she wanted to speak with him on since it concerned the conflict taking place right now. "You heard about Heaven's Base falling to ZAFT right?"

Raul once again remained silent, only giving Mir a simple nod of his head as like everyone else in Orb, they never expected that the Earth Alliance's main headquarters on Earth to fall this quickly against the enemy. "Yeah, I am aware of it and how that base was taken sooner than we thought… unfortunately I heard the repairs to the Archangel are gonna take some time to complete" he said, having also heard of the real beating the white warship had against ZAFT's newly constructed warship the LHM-BB01 Minerva.

"Yeah, everyone here is getting restless because of this… especially Kira and I heard he's a little scare after what happened to Athrun, feeling like he's powerless and can't protect anything like this" said Mir, having witnessed a conversation that Kira and Murrue were having when she herself made her way to the testing facility where Raul will be making sure everything on his Excellence Frame is all green because the last thing they needed was any kind of issues that could endanger the pilot and everyone else assisting him in an actual battle. "Not only this, we don't know what Neo-Zeon is planning either which adds to the problem in question…. Maybe things might get better when Lacus returns to Earth."

Raul silently nodded his head and the two listened in to what the male Coordinator was talking about with the brown-haired female captain of the former EA Warship but with the Archangel's best mobile suit destroyed in battle against the enemy… It will need some much needed assistance should it ever head back out into action regardless on how long it's going to take before the repairs are properly completed. As this was happening, Athrun was resting up in the Archangel's infirmary still really banged up from when he and former Minerva crew member Meyrin Hawke previously attempted to escape from Gibraltar in a stolen ZGMF-2000 GOUF Ignited only for it to be destroyed by Shinn Asuka's new mobile suit the ZGMF-X42 Destiny Gundam when it and the ZGMF-X666S Legend Gundam piloted by Rey Za Burrel were sent to kill them for defecting from ZAFT and while it had been a miracle that Athrun and Meyrin managed to barely survive the destruction of their stolen mobile suit, it was somehow being recovered by Orb and brought onboard the Archangel that truly saved them from death.

He stirred in his sleep and he slowly awakened while the news concerning the fall of Heaven's Base played on the screen as Neo Roanoke was watching it within the infirmary despite the fact that he is a prisoner though Athrun is still in immense pain from the losing against the Destiny not too long ago as the door slid open to reveal that Cagalli had come in to see how he is doing with much relief in her body to see that he's alright. "Good, you're awake" began the blonde-haired Representative with a light smile on her face as she approached Athrun's bed while Neo turned to see the conversation between the two teens. "How are you feeling?"

"Well…." Remaining silent for a brief moment, he carefully thought about what he needed to say then said. "I feel like I wanna roll over and die…" he replied, fighting off the pain he had throughout his entire body and had to remain in bed until he is well enough to get back onto his feet. "Unfortunately for me, I seem to be just fine…"

Cagalli knelt down in order to better speak with the blue-haired young man she once held feelings for prior to the whole mess with Yuna, having tried to marry him for the sake of Orb's survival until Kira used the Freedom to "kidnap" her from her own wedding, bringing her onto the Archangel immediately afterwards and Athrun previous decision of rejoining ZAFT. "I really wish you wouldn't say those kinds of things" she informed him showing concerned for his very own well being at this moment. "Nobody wants to hear that sort of talk."

"Sorry…" he replied, more so as he was now wondering how Meyrin was doing since Kisaka was at that point bringing a tray of food for her in Mir's place due to Raul testing one an experimental Mecha from within Morgenroete, from the looks of it… The red headed female crew member from the Minerva was trying to rest up as well. "How's Meyrin?"

"She's fighting a bit of a fever right now but otherwise she's fine" answered Cagalli, knowing who Athrun was talking about then looked away from him for a brief moment as if she didn't want him to see the expression she had on her face. "Miriallia said she had a nice talk with her."

"I see…"

"That girl was the controller right?" Cagalli decided to ask him, a light smile formed as she did remember Meyrin back when she and Athrun were onboard the Minerva ever since Armory-One until the ship was forced to land on Earth and eventually docked at Orb for repairs. "From the Minerva?"

"Yeah, she saved my life back there" responded Athrun and memories of his visit to her at Gibraltar flashed before his very eyes while reflecting on why she did what she did earlier. "She said that if they were trying to kill me, that I would be better off running. Weird huh? I hardly ever spoken to her but she helped me and now she's involved…"

Cagalli have a simple nod, understanding where Athrun was getting at. "She's really fond of you then…" she spoke, looking away from him again and his thoughts were now on the events that transpired up until now. "It's okay, you don't have to worry about her being alright… I'll personally see that she's well cared for."

There was now nothing but silence between the two, yet he soon noticed that she has been wearing the ring that he had given to her ever since the day he returned to the PLANTs to speak with Durandal himself in person. "There's something… I wanna say…" Cagalli spoke up after a few minutes of silence and he was surprised by what she's talking about at first before she continued. "For what I did to you… Can you forgive me?"

Feeling a bit dumbfounded, he felt that he needed to come up with something that can help cheer her up but wasn't sure what to say. "No, that is what I should be asking you… I should apologize…" he began, remembering when he fought the Freedom at the Battle of Crete and how his machine the ZGMF-X23S Saviour Gundam being trashed beyond repair by the beam sabers wielded by Kira's nuclear powered machine due to the brown-haired Coordinator refusing to kill his best friend from childhood in the ensuring fight. "At Crete, Kira was telling the truth and I…"

"But I… I was gonna get married…" Cagalli interrupted, especially as she thought that what she was doing was for the benefit of Orb yet now she doesn't know what to believe anymore after what transpired in the entire war. "Without even telling you about it…"

Athrun didn't say a word as he glanced at the ring she wore once again and thought about the day he gave it to her. "You did it for the sake of Orb… To protect it…" he said, causing Cagalli to be somewhat surprised when he said that all while Neo silently listened in on the chat and memories of him accompanying her to Armory-One, the events of Break the World and the brief confrontation with Sato and his fellow Zala Loyalists. "I think I was… Becoming restless… it was starting to wear on me, I couldn't stand not being of any use… You on the other hand, you were busy dealing with the day to day responsibilities of running a great nation. I was just sitting around doing nothing at all… When that affair with Junius Seven happened, I wanted to do something… I wanted to stopped this from going any further, stop the war from happening…"

He turned away as he then thought back to when he became part of the Minerva's crew after rejoining ZAFT. "Athrun…" Cagalli whispered, knowing that this was eating him up from inside and felt partly responsible in a way and hoped there will be a chance to make things right with him somehow. "I know you want to stop it.. But it.. It's not easy.."

"Cagalli…"

"Everyone wants to stop it" Cagalli continued, knowing that Athrun wasn't alone in wanting to bring an end to the war as Kira and the others, including Bright Noa and his crew wanted to stop the conflict from escalating even further. "At least they say they do… So why isn't it happening? Is this really all LOGOS' fault?"

Memories of his talk with Durandal, appeared when he heard Cagalli ask him that as he wasn't sure on what to believe anymore himself. "Should we give up? Is it pointless?" she then asked him, feeling like she lost all hope of the war ever coming to a close now that things are going as they were and all Athrun could think of were Shinn, Lunamaria Hawke, Shinn's heroic actions in helping innocent people and he snapped back into reality as he spoke.

"No, we shouldn't give up…" Cagalli saw a determined expression forming on his face as he told her of his answer concerning what they should do from this point on. "Never give up…"

Meanwhile, a ZAFT-designed shuttle was traveling through the depths of space and onboard, Martin DaCosta had wanted to inform Lacus and Commander Waltfeld of the discovery that he found from his trip to Mendel since this concerned the whole thing involving Durandal even though he had to be extra careful because he wouldn't want the chance of ZAFT, the Earth Alliance or Neo-Zeon discovering his location or that of the Eternal's but fortunately for him it seemed like clear sailing for him as luck was apparently on his side… Or so he thought, not realizing he had a ZGMF-LRR704B GINN Long Range Reconnaissance Type on his tail following him in secret.

Upon coming onboard the pink warship, DaCosta immediately made his way to the bridge in order to reveal his findings to his superior officer and the pink-haired leader of the Three Ships Alliance and Terminal because he prayed that this may give them a chance to plan their counterattack fairly soon before this get worse.

 **oooooooooo**

"Ok, this is it... the test is about to start, just keep concentrated..."

Fiona Grayden took a deep breath and sat in front of the already lit up commands on the piloting interface, as the cockpit's entry door slid closed above her, leaving her in that enclosed space, with only the lights of the consoles for company. The girl's heart was aleady beating fast with emotion and her fingers trembled slightly as they gripped the controls. Finally, the moment she and her friends had dedicated so much of their lives to was close at hand. The trial flight of the Excellence Frame was about to start.

The young pilot relaxed slightly on her seat and sighed. How many years had gone by since she and her friends Lahge and Mitsuko and, for the first time ever, shut themselves into that lunar research center, throwing themselves body and soul in realizing the experiment their fathers had theorized? Many, far more than she ever cared to count... now nineteen years old, and other than her childhood friends, she couldn't say she really had any friends. Some days, she found herself wondering if it was really worth it to sacrifice so much for a theory which could very well have turned out to be wrong... and yet, if the results had been satisfactory, it would have been a huge step forward for all mankind.

Fiona smiled sadly to herself. How ironic that, in order to continue the research, the Excellence Project had to be turned into a weapon of war. But difficult times require compromises, whether the young pilot liked it or not, and that included being separated from her brother Raul for so long.

The console emitted a loud beeping, jolting Fiona out of her thoughts. Raising an arm, the girl pressed a green button on the right side of her interface, and a comm screen blinked open in front of her, lightly oscillating before stabilizing itself. Onscreen, Fiona saw the face of a boy just a little above twenty years old, with neatly-combed emerald green hair and a pair of looking glasses. He was wearing some sort of blue military uniform with silvered shoulder pads, and had a serious, dispassionate demeanor. He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose with a gesture of his hand, before clearing his throat and speaking.

"Good to see you're ready, Fiona." he said, calmly yet firmly. "Can you read me? What are the Excellence's conditions?"

Fiona smiled more heartily now. "Lahge, it's great to see you! Everything under control here! Commands working, parameters within normal limits. What about the engines of the interchangeable frames? If something goes wrong now, we're in hot water...".

Fiona was quite pretty, with short reddish hair tied in a small braid falling on her left shoulder, and large blue eyes filled with energy and bravado, exactly reflecting her strong, somewhat impulsive personality. Those who knew her (few of them, considering she had spent so much time in that research center, between experiments and piloting simulations...) knew that her sweet, inoffensive appearence hid a strong sense of justice, and that she was ready to fight to the finish for her dreams and her friends. At the moment, for that trial flight, she was wearing a tight-fitting piloting suit in artificial fibers, polished enough to reflect the scarce lighting of the cockpit. Silver applications decorated her piloting suit here and there, and her shoulder pads were of the same colour.

"All functioning according to previsions." Lahge answered. "Time Shift Engine stabilized. Temporal particles... 100% preserved. Condition green. You can go out."

Fiona gave a thumbs-up. "Way to go, my friend! You and Mitsuko have done a terrific job, as always! Now, it's all up to me. Should we fail, the responsability will be all mine..."

Lahge nodded, his serious face marred by a shade of worry. "Do your best, Fiona. We've come a long way to complete the Time Shift Engine our parents theorized."

"I know..." Fiona answered, with a melanchonic sigh. "We all had to sacrifice a lot to come this far... and Raul too. I just wish I got to see him a little more, but he does have his own test sto do with his own Excellence module."

Just then, another comm screen appeared besides Lahge's, showing the pretty face of a girl about the same age as Fiona, with short and somewhat messy violet hair with matching eyes, wearing a red suit similar in form to Fiona's, only slighty heavier and with more silvered parts. Mitsuko Saiki, Fiona's other best childhood friend, and the trio's mechanics and electronics expert, was a smart, resourceful girl despite her overall lack of self-confidence, and she always knew how to think her way out of a problem. She was a stark contrast to Lahge, the one who was more knowledgeable on the mysterious Time Shift technology about to be used in the current experiment: he was a collected guy who sometimes seemed emotionless, but his reasoning and stark logic had often taken the trio out of sticky situations. More than once, Fiona had joked about herself being the brute strength of the team...

"And it's not over yet, I should say..." Mitsuko warned, without hiding her anxiety. "Should today's test turn out negative, fundings will be cut, and our entire research will be in jeopardy..."

Fiona nodded seriously. "I know, Mitsuko... after all, that's why we turned the Time Shift Engine's frame into a humanoid mobile weapon."

"Because of the constant war threat, any kind of non-military research has been ostracized by the New Earth Federation government... it was inevitable, in a way." Mitsuko answered, clearly displeased about the current state of things. Since Dekim Barton had started ruling the New Earth Federation through his figurehead Mariemeia Kushrenada, everything had begun falling apart...

"Without money, research grinds to a halt..." Lahge continued. "It all depends on the results of the test. Fiona, we're all counting on you!"

"I know... wish me luck, everyone!" Fiona concluded. Her friends smiled in encouragement and closed their comm screens, while the cockpit lit up. Slightly narrowing her eyes in order not to get dazzled, Fiona pulled the cloche towards her and activated her external cameras, which showed the hangar's doors opening.

"Alright then," the young female pilot told herself. "Excellence Argento Fighter, take off!"

"So, is the pilot ready for the trial flight?" came an officer's question to the technicians in the lunar base's control room. Mitsuko, already seated at her position, typed up the rest of the necessary coordinates into the research center's databases, before turning to the military personnel present to witness the experiment. On the whole, there were no less than twelve people in the control room: herself, Lahge (who was still busy with last-minute procedures) and ten New Earth Federation officers, all wearing impressive-looking military uniforms, and all looking sternly, almost angrily, the room's screens, impatient for results to come up.

The young woman typed in one last command, then lightly pushed her seat away from the consoles and turned to answer. "Affirmative, sir. The hangar doors have been opened. The Excellence Frame's trial flight can officially begin."

"All is good, then." another officer answered curtly. "We're really curious to see what kind of weapon this is. Miss Saiki, give us a visual."

"Already working on it." she answered, pressing one last button to activate the external cameras. Immediately, the control room's screens lit up, showing the trial field right outside of the base. A small flying vehicle, no more than fifteen feet in length, was flying above the field: it looked like some sort of miniature airplane with a more futuristic look, and its sides were thickly plated with azure metal. Under the wings, it was possible to see a few propellers for space flight, and the cockpit's reinforced glass was tinted green. In the era of Mobile Suits and space colonies, such a vehicle did not look like an effective weapon, and in fact some New Federation commissaries were already expressing their distaste: some of them had their arms crossed in front of them, while others shook their heads in a desolate manner.

"Is that all? This is the project we've spent so much money and time on? Somewhat disappointing, if I'm allowed to say so." one of the officers stated. He sounded smugly pleased with himself, as if he had just said the smartest thing in the world...

"Do not worry. The Excellence's very cockpit is in fact combat-capable." Mitsuko gently answered. "In theory, the Excellence Argento Fighter is a flight and stealth module, indicated for reconnaisance work, but it also has weapons installed."

Nearby, Lahge opened a communication with his friend's vehicle. "Fiona, we're about to activate the attack program. Be careful. Even if it's just a test and they're piloted by an AI, the dummies use live ammunition. Do not get hit."

"Acknowledge!" Fiona crisply answered. Lahge nodded and entered another combination of buttons before confirming...

 **oooooooooo**

In the Argento Fighter's cockpit, Fiona narrowed her eyes at her radar screen, where a beeping red dot, signifying the presence of an enemy unit, had blinked in existence. With the mere pressing of a button, the girl brought oncreen the image of the enemy she was to fight against, entering from a side hangar at that very moment: it was a very old dark green Mobile Suit of more than fifty feet in height, equipped with a large rectangular shield and a machine gun, with a rather large heat axe safely mounted on its back. It slowly stepped out of the hangar and looked around with the huge red mono-eye in the center of its head, guided by Lahge's programmed AI, in search of the Argento Fighter. In response, Fiona cracked a mocking smile when the MS identified her vehicle and pointed its machine gun at her. After all, who had never seen such a robot in those times? She knew it very well...

"A Zaku? Come on, Lahge, you can do better than this!" the red-haired pilot commented, moving the Argento Fighter's cloche like she had done so many times in the past. The small fighter plane deftly dodged to its left, and the Zaku's volley of bullets whizzed harmlessly past it. Immediately after, the girl pressed a red button on the cloche, activating a pair of machine guns on the Argento Fighter's wings. She smiled grimly as she saw the heavy MS getting pelted mercilessly with her own bullets and swaying dangerously under fire until its armor gave out. Then, Fiona's shots hit the old Mobile Suit's vital points, and the Zaku collapsed and exploded, only leaving behind a twisted husk of charred, blackened metal. Fiona did another maneuvre and stabilized the Argento Fighter, then nonchalantly dusted her hands on her pants.

"Even for the Argento Fighter, that was too easy. I hope the next tests will be more of a challenge..."

"Hmm... not half bad. An obsolete model to be sure, but we still didn't think that puny plane could stand a chance against it..." one of the New Federation inspectors commented, eyes affixed on the burning Zaku carcass on the battlefield. "But I guess the results wouldn't be the same, when confronted with the more recent Mobile Suit models."

"Well, that's true..." Mitsuko admitted, running a hand through her hair and moving a bang away from her eyes. "The Argento Fighter isn't a combat unit, and has been created for flight purposes only. However, the Excellence's true power is revealed when the Argento Fighter gets combined with the various fighting modules. Fiona, get back to the hangar! We'll continue the trial with the Striker Frame!"

"Okay!" Fiona chirpily answered, swerving her unit towards the launch hangars. "Anyway, that Zaku was real crap! Lahge, I think you should send me something better, if you want the test to be meaningful!"

A few of the commissars chuckled haughtily, a mix of amusement and contempt in front of the young pilot's lack of discipline, as Lahge raised his eyes skywards, murmuring something about a certain girl's big mouth."

"Alright then, Striker Frame coming up! Fiona, get ready for docking!" the bespectacled young man answered, pressing a few more buttons...

"Great! Now we're talking!" Fiona exclaimed, watching the Striker Frame being raised from the underground docks onto the battlefield, ready for use. The Striker Frame was a large red robot, slightly taller than the Zaku Fiona had just destroyed, with short, stout legs, and a slightly bigger right arm ending in a threatening four-clawed pincer. An azure laser system was embedded in its chest, and on its head, whose white face superficially resembled a human skull, was an overlarge horn about five feet long, jutting between its green-azure eyes. Fiona reached for the console and entered a combination of commands. "Everything ready here, everyone! Starting docking with Striker Frame! Condition green! All system operating at maximum efficiency!"

"Very well, Fiona! We're counting on you!" Mitsuko answered. The Argento Fighter, a few metres above the combat module, slowly turned around, so that its rear was facing the Striker Frame's abdomen, and carefully slid into an opening in its midsection, among azure discharges of energy. As soon as the linkage was completed, Fiona gave a confirmation, and the Striker Frame's eyes lit up spectacularly! The fighting module moved its arms and stepped down from the platform on which it had been raised, its claw-arm raised in triumph.

"Yay! The docking was completely successful!" Fiona exclaimed enthusiastically, detaching her hands from the interface to pump them into fists in front of herself. "Lahge, Mitsuko, no problems in the frame's control! Time Shift Engine output raised fom 70 to 80 per cent. All system working to maximum efficiency. Is everything okay down there?"

"No problems here as well." Lahge answered neutrally. Then, a little bit of irony crept into his voice. "Heh... Time Shift Engine... instead of using traditional fuel to generate energy, this engine uses the so-called 'space-time friction shift'... if the scientists heard something like that, they'd burst out laughing!"

Fiona giggled, rubbing her nose with an index finger. "Heheheee... and the beauty of the thing is, it's actually working!"

"Right..." Lahge answered, after thinking about it for a few moments. "And that's the outcome of more than ten years of research, experiments and trial-and-error on the Time Particles in the laboratories around Saturn's orbit."

Mitsuko wrinkled her nose, feeling somewhat left out... At that moment, she felt like her friends had forgotten about the contribution she had given to that project's completion...

Luckily, grasping her friend's thought on the fly, Fiona added something to Lahge's statements. "Hey, Lahge, let's not forget about Mitsuko's cooperation! If she hadn't drawn up and built the Excellence's frames, we'd be kissing this test goodbye at this point!"

Mitsuko cracked a small smile... but as she noticed the New Federation inspectors frowning in irritation at the wasting of time, she quickly focused back on her job. "Thanks, Fiona... now, let's begin with the Striker Frame's testing! Launch automated units!"

The female operator pressed a yellow button, and two more humanoid robots appeared on the improvised battlefield through the side hangars: they looked far more advanced than the Zaku Fiona had taken down seconds earlier, and looked quite a bit more agile as well: a navy-blue colour all over, their head was shaped like a cone and elongated, with a rectangular screen as a face and beam rifles held in their hands. Fiona recognized them immediately - a couple of Taurus, light Mobile Suits used by the old Federation and by the Union army before Dekim's coup five years earlier. If memory served her, a member of the Preventers (the security-maintenance governative organization operating at the time) used a custom white Taurus as her personal Mobile Suit...

However, those Taurus were advancing towards her, their beam rifles raised and ready to shoot. With a light smirk, Fiona gripped the commands and her combat frame slid into a fight pose, its right hand clenched into a fist.

"Very well then, Taurus, show me what you can do..." the young pilot chided, as her Striker Frame slowly advanced towards the agile Mobile Suits. Her adversaries' AI soon identified Fiona's robot as an enemy, and their screen-like faces lit up... then, with incredible quickness, both Taurus aimed and shot beams of searing green light. However, the girl had seen the attack coming and, with a simple movement, raised the Striker Frame's massive right arm, using it to block the laser shots. Both beams struck the thick plating on the Striker's arm, hardly doing any damage beyond a cascade of green sparks.

"The Striker's Frame hindrance is a less than optimal mobility..." Fiona commented to herself as she checked the instruments to make sure everything was functioning normally. "On the other hands, the defense ability is top notch! As I thought, right arm damage below 1 per cent. And now, my turn! **Prisma Beam!** "

Fiona moved her hand to another interface, and the Striker instantly moved its right arms and pointed it against the Taurus, opening the clawed finger to reveal three laser ports in its palm! Before the two Mobile Suits' AI could analyze the situation, three azure beams shot out of the Striker Frame's hand and pierced one of the Taurus' chest armor, causing its screen-like face to blink in seeming confusion for a second before the robot collapsed and exploded! The remaining Taurus, unfazed by its companion's demise, kept shooting at the Striker Frame, which deftly continued blocking the shots and quickly advanced towards its opponent. The former OZ Mobile Suit dropped its rifle and unsheathed a sparkling green beam saber from a compartment on its waist, activating it with a dull throb...

...but it was already too late: the Striker Frame leapt to the attack, pummelling the lighter MS with a barrage of punches. The Taurus' damaged armor sparkled as Fiona raised the Striker's massive right arm and dropped it on her opponent's shoulder, almost ripping the sword-holding arm out of its socket! Before the Taurus could reorganize itself and get to a safe distance, Fiona gave another command, and the large red robot leapt up, spun on itself once, and came down with a vicious flying kick to the Taurus' chest.

" **Crusher Kick!** " Fiona yelled as her robot's right leg dove into the enemy MS's armor, tossing it several dozen feet away and sending it to meet the same end as its companion. Fiona's Striker Frame landed flawlessly as the Taurus blew up, and the girl gripped her hand into a fist, joyous from her victory.

"Amazing!" she exclaimed, keeping her comm port open. "This Excellence really lives up to its own name! Hey, Lahge! Mitsuko! Mission completed! I took down the enemy AIs with minimal damage to the Striker's right arm, and I didn't even need to use its final attacks! Have you gathered all data?"

"To the last iota, Fiona!" Mitsuko answered, her beaming face popping up on a comm window on the pilot's interface. "The Excellence is already performing beyond all expectations!"

Lahge opened a comm window as well. "You did a remarkable job, Fiona, but it's still too early to rejoice! Remember, you still have the Cosmo Driver Frame to test. We're already sending the module... you, detach from the Striker Frame and prepare for docking. This is a most crucial part of the trial flight!"

"Yeah, I know..." the redhead answered, starting her retreat towards the hangars. "Very well then... Excellence Striker, Disengage! Argento Fighter Mode activated!" A metallic sound was heard, and blueish energy bolts darted around the Striker Frame's abdomen, as the cockpit detached and took flight again, once again transforming in the puny fighter plane Fiona had started the trial flight in. The Striker Frame's exoskeleton became still and its shining green eyes turned off, returning to their previous quiescence.

"I'm ready, Lahge!" Fiona called. "Send me the Cosmo Driver Frame!"

 **oooooooooo**

"Cosmo Driver Frame?" one of the Federation commissars asked, arrogantly striding towards Mitsuko's console. "And what's that all about? I hope it's something useful, at least..."

The young researcher shifted unconfortably on her seat, feeling quite irritated by the man's closeness. He was a tall man of considerable age, whose uniform was proof of his high position, and whose hair were combed upwards in a very peculiar manner, almost resembling a flame, on his head, with thick matching moustache and a nasty expression of cruelty and bloodlust shining through his beady grey eyes. Mitsuko wrinkled her nose, remembering who that man was - Chief General Miwa Sakimori, an important member of the New Federation's Defense Committee, known since the times of the Union for his extremism, his aversion to diplomacy, and his debatable (at best) methods. She had heard he had been dishonorably discharged five years ago, and yet, for some reason, now he was back at his place. Really, who could tell what the top brass was thinking...

"Erm... yes, Admiral Sakimori..." Mitsuko hesitatingly answered. She wanted to ask him not to get near the equipment, but knowing Miwa's aggressiveness and stupidity, it was better not to push her luck and not to risk being accused of contestation of authority... "The Cosmo Driver Frame has been created for zero-G combat situations, and its numerous long-range weapons and verniers allow for great offensive power and maneuvrability. Anyway, we'll soon give you proof of its combat ability."

"Good." Miwa snarled nastily. "Try not to disappoint. The New Federation spent quite a lot of money on this."

Making sure nobody noticed him, Lahge glared at the admiral. " _Sure... money that you've been leeching off the colonies, which you consider nothing more than underpaid work force. It's hardly surprising that the relationships between Earthnoids and Spacenoids are so strained. But then again, what am I expecting from a Blue Cosmos sympathizer?_ " he thought to himself, before turning back to his work. Once again, the emerald-haired young man checked the console, selected the new frame and contacted Fiona to brief her on the next part of the test. "Alright, Fiona, I'm about to send you the Cosmo Driver Frame, and your new opponents! Stand ready!"

"Right, Lahge! I'm ready whenever you are!" Fiona answered. Lahge nodded, then pressed a few buttons and looked at the screen on which the images taken by the outside camera were being broadcast. The Striker Frame's exoskeleton was being taken back to the hangars by a large platform elevator appearing seemingly out of nowhere on the field's floor; and no more than one minute later, the lift raised once again, bringing a new frame along: a purple humanoid frame with a skull-like face and azure eyes, but with a much sleeker form than the Striker Frame, and several propellers on its back, obviously to boost its speed. It was clearly a model which gave priority to mobility over destructive power. The visible armaments included a pair of short beam rifles, each one in an holster on the Cosmo Driver's hips, and a beam saber whoe hilt protruded from a compartment on the chest. The New Federation commissars looked at the new model, looking quite unimpressed.

"Cosmo Driver Frame available." Lahge declared. "Ready for docking, Fiona!"

"Acknowledge!" Fiona answered, her Argento Fighter already moving to get in position. "Proceed and connect with Cosmo Driver Frame!"

Just like what she had done for the Striker Frame, the small flying cockpit turned away from the Cosmo Driver Frame and slid into an opening in its abdomen. Azure bolts of energy connected the purple exoskeleton with the Argento Fighter's propulsors, and a screeching metal sound was heard as the connection was finalized. The Como Driver Frame's eyes lit up, as its right hand slid towards its chest and unsheathed a golden beam sword, getting into a fight pose a split second later.

"Docking complete!" Fiona signaled from her cockpit. "Excellence Cosmo Driver operative at maximum efficiency! Send me the drones any moment!"

Fiona's request was answered quickly: two more AI-controlled humanoid robots entered the battlefield... but those two, Fiona immediately noticed, were definitely not Mobile Suits: they were quite a bit smaller, no more than thirty feet tall, and more agile, with a dull lead-gray body and some sort of bayonet-armed guns in their hands. They also looked quite a bit more clunky compared to the Taurus, but at the same time, their weapons were more modern. Fiona recognized them as Aestivalis-types, combat robot created no more than five years earlier by Nergal, at the time one of the main companies producing weapons and space technologies, together with Anaheim Electronics. If Fiona recalled, it was Nergal who created the legendary Nadesico, the mobile battleship that had ended the conflict between the Earth and the Jupiter Empire. Now, the company was slowly sliding into anonimity, overshadowed by Anaheim and Morgenroete, but its revolutionary innovations, like the Distortion Field and the Phase Shift Engine, had allowed it to stay afloat, and it still had an important role in producing weapons.

Fiona narrowed her eyes. While smaller than a Zaku or a Taurus, Aestivalises were potentially dangerous opponents. " _Lucky for me these ones are mass-produced types..._ " the redhead thought, watching the two smaller robots flying towards her. " _Had they been outfitted with a Distortion Field, I'd have had a far harder time. Thankfully, the Distortion Field is too expensive to be installed on such models..._ "

As if the two Aestivalises had read her mind and decided to correct her, they pointed their gun at her and shot a volley of projectiles, which the Excellence Cosmo Driver managed to dodge only with a deft lateral dash. Fiona grit her teeth and took one of the guns hanging by her robot's side, just as the Nergal robots ceased fire and charged madly towards her. She quickly took aim and fired, shooting forth a yellow energy beam that pierced one of the smaller robots' chest, causing it to detonate. The other Aestivalis was too fast for her to do the same thing, though, and Fiona found herself madly dodging two deadly swipes from its bayonet, around which a strange, barely visible rainbow-colored aura was glowing. As the Cosmo Driver gained distance, using its beam sword to deflect the Aestivalis' blows, Fiona recalled the weapon's name for her studies, and especially remembered how dangerous it was!

"It's Field Lancer..." she murmured. "I'm not an expert on such things, but I do know it was created to pierce through defence mechanisms like the Distortion Field or the I-Field..."

The AI-piloted Aestivalis charged again, bringing its Lancer down on the Cosmo Driver, but Fiona managed to block the attack in time with her beam saber. Then, before the smaller robot could retaliate, the Cosmo Driver drew its arm back... and then punched forward, delivering a tremendous blow! The MP-Aestivalis was tossed backwards several yards, but managed to regain its flight asset and pointed its rifle to its opponent. A few beams of green energy exploded from the gun and sped towards the Cosmo Driver frame, who dodged sideways before countering.

"Alright then... Fairy System activated!" Fiona called, pressing a button on her cloche. Immediately, something happened that left all the New Federation inspectors stupefied - a small compart on the Cosmo Driver's back propellers slid open, and out came a swarm of small floating objects, each no more than two feet long, similar to small laser cannons held aloft by minuscule engines. Eight of these small weapons floated around the Excellence for a little while... before charging like a bunch of enraged wasps against the Aestivalis, whose AI seemed to be at a loss on how to deal with the situation. Before the Aestivalis could attempt to defend itself, the small cannons opened fire, showering the smaller combat robot with golden laser beams which penetrated its armor like a red-hot knife through butter. The unmanned robot stood transfixed for half a second and its eyes emitted a bright green light, as if it had been surprised by its defeat... and then it exploded, scattering its pieces all around the battlefield as the small cannons returned to the Cosmo Driver. Fiona quickly brushed the sweat off her forehead and sighed in relief.

"Phew! For AI-piloted units, they sure as Hell held back nothing..." she commented.

 **oooooooooo**

Inside the control room, Mitsuko grinned in satisfaction as she witnessed the Aestivalis' destruction. "Heh... I knew those automated beam guns would come in handy! My Fairy System has just proven itself!" she said to herself. Beside her, Lahge wordlessly nodded, and the New Federation commissars, Miwa included, gawked in wonder. What kind of weapon was that?

"Wha...?" Miwa mouthed, half in surprise, half in rage. "What the hell is this thing? I... I thought only those damn Neo Zeon rebels had the technology to create funnel-like weapons! Unless of course..." Almost foaming at the mouth, he turned to Lahge and Mitsuko and pointed at them accusingly. "Of course! There can be no other explanation! You and your little friends are damn Neo Zeon spies working for that Char Aznable bastard! And you're using Project Excellence as a decoy for creating weapons for those rebel scum! But I've found you out, and I'll send you to an execution squad, you have my word for it!"

Surprised and outraged at the baseless accusation, Mitsuko stood up and faced the overaggressive admiral, and Lahge simply adjusted his glasses. "You've come to hasty conclusions, admiral Sakimori. First and foremost, if we really had been developing weapons for Neo Zeon, we wouldn't want to show them to you, now would we? Moreover, we do not have access to the Psycomm technologies necessary to create funnel-type weapons, and even if we did, Fiona is not a Newtype. She could never use that kind of weapons... and, in any case, Neo Zeon does not look kindly upon the Oldtype, whose soul is, to quote them, held back by gravity..." the emerald-haired man explained. In front of his collectedness, barely tainted by some scorn towards Neo Zeon's philosophy, Miwa's outburst looked all the more ridiculous by comparison.

Silenced by the response, Miwa stepped backwards, boiling with rage. "W... What? How dare you speak to me like that! Don't you know who you're dealing with? I am an Admiral of the New Federation government, and I command respect! Why, I ought to have you all court-marshalled..." he raged, barely kept in check by the other inspectors.

"Please calm down, Admiral Sakimori. What Mr. Montoya is saying is true." one of the commissars answered. "All of Fiona Grayden's test to acknowledge her Newtype potential have turned out negative, and this research center has never had any known contact with Neo Zeon anyway." Then, turning to the operators. "Anyway, admittedly, these Fairies you have just shown us are oddly reminescent of the funnel-type weapons used by some of the first Neo Zeon Mobile Suits, such as the Qubeley or the Queen Mantha... not to say anything about ZAFT's Providence Gundam's DRAGOON pods. Have you taken inspiration from those?"

"To be fair... yes, we did." Mitsuko admitted, regaining the calm she had lost for half a second. "I always asked myself how it would be possible to create remote weapons for all-range combat, capable of attacking from all directions... without using a Psycomm system. This is another of the Time Shift Engine's advantages... it powers up these termoguided cannons, which I dubbed Fairies, and allows them to move on their own. This allows them to reach noticeable distances from the Excellence, and then return."

"An interesting idea, to be sure..." another inspector conceded. "Well, Ms. Seiki, Mr. Montoya... up until this point, the Excellence has given some pretty good results in single combat... but what if, for some reason, it had to fight off a large number of enemies surrounding it. In that case, would it be able to hold them off?"

Lahge slowly nodded. "We have thought of that as well. The Excellence Striker's armor is much more sturdy than that of any mass-produced Mobile Suit, and can easily withstand a mass attack. As for the Cosmo Driver, well... I think that, to better show its potential, another test cannot hurt.". That said, Lahge started another communication with the Cosmo Driver. "Listen, Fiona! For now, the test has been convincing, but the committee wants to see the Excellence's performace against a greater number of enemies. Are you ready for the next phase? You'll have to face a tougher challenge now..."

 **ooooooooo**

The red-haired girl nodded, gave an half-smile and winked. "Alright, Lahge! I'm already set. Send the drones, I just can't wait to vent my rage on their butts!" she answered, impatient to see a bit more of action. Mitsuko put her hand in frontof her mouth and giggled, as Lahge shook his head. Sometimes, he had an hard time understanding his childhood friend's hotheadedness...

"Alright, then..." he said in a sigh. "Mass attack simulation, squad 5 out. Fiona, I'd like to remind you once again that we're using live ammunition in these tests. Extreme care is needed."

"Alright!" Fiona answered from the Excellence's cockpit. A few seconds later, the hangars opened again, and a group of AI-controlled robot began pouring out of them and into the battlefield. Four Tauruses and two Aestivalises, armed with beam rifles and machine guns respectively. Apparently guided by a more advanced AI system, the opponents quickly moved to encircle the Excellence-C, creating a wall of steel and weapons around it. Fiona quickly looked both ways, as adrenalin began pumping in her veins and a shiver went through her arms and shoulders. Her fingers gripped the cloche almost by reflex, signaling her impatience to begin the battle...

And suddenly, out of the blue, a lone Taurus grabbed its beam rifle and fired a green beam against the Excellence-C. Fiona gasped in surprise and, acting by pure instinct, managed to dive sideways and avoid the beam by mere inches. Gritting her teeth, the young girl stabilized the Cosmo Driver and attempted to retaliate, but she was forced to stand back when the remaining five robots unleashed a barrage of light and bullets upon her, almost depriving her of any visual of the battlefield! Fiona almost shrieked in fear: she was not expecting such a violent onslaught from a bunch of AIs, even though the test was supposed to be as realistic as possible... the programs piloting those robots were acting with the intelligence and skill of a veteran pilot!

"Lahge" Fiona shouted in her communicator, trying to talk and dodge attacks at the same time. "What the heck are you doing there? What kind of instructions have you given those robots? I know the test is supposed to be realistic, but give me a break!"

When another window popped up on the Excellence C's screen, Fiona was shocked to see that her normaly cool and composed friend looked, in fact, very surprised and scared. "Lahge! Lahge, what's going...?"

"I... I have no idea, Fiona! I'm receiving values and instructions that do not match the normal patterns!" the bespectabled young man answered, trying and failing to get the situation back under control. In the background, the voices of the shocked and confused New Federation inspectors could be made out. "Those.. those robots... are moving on their own!"

Fiona felt her heart skip a beat. "Wh... WHAT? Are... are you joking? It's impossible... AI-piloted machines cannot act without instructions!" she shouted, barely blocking a Taurus' beam saber with her own as he desperately tried to stay away from another Taurus and an Aestivalis. The sheer numbers and fury of the attack were overwhelming her...

"Me... me too... the system has gone completely haywire!" a close-to-panicking Mitsuko exclaimed as her comm screen opened up beside Lahge's. "Something... has gained access to the drones' controlling computer system! We're under an informatic attack!"

"This is preposterous!" Lahge shot back. "This system is protected by the best firewalls and anti-virus programs available! It's completely hacking-proof! How could anyone gain access to it?"

That was just the last thing Fiona was thinking about, as she desperately tried to weather the Tauruses' and the Aestivalises' fury. The Excellence C gripped its golden beam saber and slashed a Taurus' arm apart, making the Mobile Suit gave way, as if surprised by the fact that it had been mutilated. The other robots kept attacking, avoiding to hit their damaged "companion" with the cold precson only a machine could have.

"If this keeps up, we'll be wiped out!" Fiona shouted. "What a real battletest!"

As soon as she pronounced these words, a strange, rumbling and supernatural voice boomed around, drowning even the chaos of the battle and chilling the girl to the bone.

" **MISTAKES DO EXIST, REGARDLESS OF HOW WE TRY TO AVOID THEM. AND AS MISTAKES EXIST, SO DOES THE TRUTH.** "

 **oooooooooo**

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Author's Notes**

 **And here starts the real meat of the story! I hope I made you interested with this battle... and we're going to see more soon!**


	3. Unexpected Aid

**SUPER ROBOT TAISEN S**

 **oooooooooo**

 **Chapter 3 – Unexpected Aid**

Coming onboard the Eternal, DaCosta immediately made his way to the bridge in order to reveal his findings to his superior officer and the pink-haired leader of the Three Ships Alliance and Terminal because he prayed that this may give them a chance to plan their counterattack fairly soon before the situation got worse. Meanwhile in her quarters, Lacus Clyne was on the computer with her pink Haro floating by her side. "Lady Lacus." came Andy's voice as a holographic screen of him in the Eternal's bridge appeared as he had urgent news.

"Yes?"

"Before… You said if Heaven's Base was to fall, the next to go would be Orb" began Andy, becoming a bit concerned as he too had become informed by the news that Heaven's Base fell against ZAFT and Neo Zeon and it caught the eye of the songstress.

"Yes…" responded Lacus though gasped in shock as realization soon came to her as she knew where the Desert Tiger was getting at but needed to be absolutely certain that what she is hearing was indeed true. "They took it already?"

"Much sooner than we expected" Andy replied back to her, causing the pinkette to float to the bridge as soon as humanly possible and especially as the bridge crew is already on alert since everyone onboard the Eternal needed to be ready for the worst case scenario should it ever occur… Fortunately it didn't take too long for her to arrive and bare witness to the scene of ZAFT's and Neo Zeon victory over the defenders of Heaven's Base. "But why do you think Orb is next?"

Lacus looked down to the chair where Andy sat, a serious expression was shown on his face as it wouldn't makes sense for ZAFT or Neo Zeon to attack Orb much like the Earth Alliance and the Titans had previously done in the first war… Especially with the threat of the Radam, the Kyomu, Dr. Hell and even the Martian Successors for example all causing worse problems that needed to be dealt with. "All Durandal talks about is how he's going to wipe out LOGOS!"

"Because Orb is a strong nation… It has power and ideals…" answered Lacus, reflecting on the events that transpired at the Battle of Crete even though she and Andy were not present to see the actual battle but were aware of it thanks to Murrue and Captain Bright Noa. "But in the grand scheme of whatever it is that Chairman Durandal is trying to accomplish, it's nothing but an obstacle to be overcome."

"This plan… What is that man trying to do anyway?" asked Andy after Lacus floated to his side and began pressing a few buttons on the panel next to him on the right and had a bad feeling that unless they prepare themselves soon then all hell is going to break loose.

"I still couldn't say for certain what it is he's after but I'm starting to glimpse pieces of it here and there…"she answered with the information on Durandal appearing to her and the Eternal's Commander though both frowned that without properly figuring out his plan, there is no way they can make a counterattack. "I believe the Chairman is trying to create a new world order that brings all of the Earth and the PLANTs together…"

"What?"

Lacus remained silent for a moment as all the data on the Zala Loyalists that the Minerva and the Joule Team has fought against during the events of Break the World had been deleted though the image of Sato's face was shown along with the remains of Junius Seven that was dropped onto the Earth which the two forces from ZAFT tried to break apart enough to lessen the damage done to the planet. "And it's possible that all of the current upheaval… Is merely mentally the foundations for that undertaking…" she replied, making Andy completely speechless and before their conversation can continue DaCosta arrived at the bridge with what he found at the Mendel Colony. "It's about time you returned DaCosta, find anything that could help us?"

"I did, however I have to say that it was a tedious little trip all things considered…" responded DaCosta as Lacus and Andy greeted the red-haired male greencoat while he revealed from the suitcase that he brought with him back to the ship and opened it up to reveal the documents that it contained. "There was no air in the colony and it was so runner down… For some reason though the genetic research lab was cleaned out, including all the data and everything else."

Lacus and Andy didn't like the looks of this but DaCosta continued. "Except for these…" he revealed the notes that he had inside the suitcase and he briefly took a glimpse of some of the stuff inside the book that read "P30 **N** Notes" then frowned as there is one page or two that his superior and the songstress need to at least see for themselves. "But you should probably take a look at this. It looks like it was written by one of his fellow researchers at the time."

He placed the book onto the table and pointed specifically to the words DESTINY PLAN written in red which could actually be their first real step in finding out Durandal's true intentions. "At first glance, Durandal's Destiny Plan seems like it could truly alter the age we live in for the better" remarked Andy as he and Lacus were in slight surprise by the notes that DaCosta found. "However… We mustn't forget good common sense. People do not live their lives to serve the world around them. That world is a place for people to live their lives as they see fit."

"Is this it?" asked Lacus.

Andy turned his attention towards Lacus, knowing that this might help them. "The Destiny Plan!" he said, unfortunately they were soon alerted by the sound of enemy forces being around the area and the alarm rang throughout the entire ship and four security cameras searched the location in hopes of finding the intruder and one spotted that same GINN Long Range Reconnaissance Type that followed DaCosta, with a single shot from the sniper rifle it held taking it out immediately. "Damn, a GINN Long Range Reconnaissance Type… It was tailing you, DaCosta!"

DaCosta was dumbfounded that he didn't know this until it was too late while Lacus had a worried expression on her face and Andy knew that he needed to hurry before it calls for reinforcements. "I'll catch it! Get my Gaia ready!" he ordered before he attempted to make his way to the hanger only for Lacus to stop him.

"Wait, Commander Waltfeld wait a minute! The damage has already been done… If it trailed us this far then it's mothership can't be that far away…" she said, getting him to stop in his tracks as she had a feeling that their being discovered was going to happen whether it be by ZAFT, the Earth Alliance or any of their other enemies but not this soon since there were people stationed at the factory and the fact the three mobile suits in development are not properly ready for combat yet. "They must have been keeping the Mendel Colony under observation… That was careless of me!"

Andy knew that Lacus wasn't at fault and had to remind her that DaCosta was the one who didn't know that he was followed until it was too late. "No it wasn't you!" began DaCosta before he was grabbed by his own Commander.

"That's right, this is the guy who brought it here!" added Andy in a sarcastic expression, hoping that they can come up with a good plan to save their hides as they needed to at least contact Captain Noa since he and his crew were in space at the time while the Archangel is getting repairs on Earth then his expression darkened as he glanced at Lacus. "So what do we do now? The machines here in the factory still undergoing final adjustments… If they attack us now we'll be virtually defenceless."

As much as it pains her to say this but there was clearly nothing they can do at this point and part of her hopes that this would at least save the lives of the people who are at the factory. "We need to get the ship out of here Commander Waltfeld…. immediately" she said after some much needed thought, even if Andy and DaCosta would think she is crazy for this suggestion.

"Say what?!"

"Head out?" asked DaCosta, hoping that it was some kind of joke as this was no laughing matter when it comes to a possible attack from the enemy ZAFT vessels. "They'll be sure to see us then!"

With a light nod, Lacus could understand where the two male soldiers are getting at but there is no time to argue. "They'll see us either way, and that's why we need to get into the best position possible before they launch their attack" she informed them again as much as they will hate the idea even more.

"Yeah but this point the Eternal isn't equipped to deal with even a single Nazca-class ship!" Andy replied to the pink-haired leader of the TSA, then again the Eternal was only able to destroy the Vesalius in the first war thanks to the Orb Union battleship the Kusanagi aiding it at the time during the Battle of Mendel when both ZAFT and the Earth Alliance attacked them and the Archangel. "We don't stand a chance of winning!"

"I'm not trying to win this battle… I'm trying to protect!" said Lacus, this time showing a determined expression on her face as she then held the notes that she had in her possession close to her… The same kind of determination she had during the Battle of Mendel and the Second Battle of Jachin Due when the TSA fought their absolute hardest to end the first war. "You see, we need to protect the people here at the factory who worked to help us… and these notes…"

DaCosta and Andy both stayed silent as they never would have guessed that Lacus is that willing to go this far to save other people as she proceeded to floating towards her chair. "Leaving right now will draw the ZAFT forces after us… This will give the factory time to come up with a contingency plan" she continued, knowing that this is the best option they have right now. "In the worst case, we'll flee into a descent orbit and send the two machines and the documents down to the Archangel."

As much as he hated to admit it, Andy believed the idea just might be crazy enough to work win or lose then got himself ready to take command. "Sounds good to me" he said, getting back into his chair and gave the order to head out. "Eternal, prepare to move out! Notify the Terminal, I'll talk to the factory! Open a circuit!"

"Discard camouflage!" The Eternal activated its thrusters and began shedding off its camouflage in an effort to be ready to head out and divert the attention of the ZAFT forces from the factory, which will be switching to silent mode as soon as the pink ZAFT-made vessel leaves.

"Now Eternal!" commanded Lacus with her determined expression returning, knowing it was now never to get out of here. "Go ahead and launch!"

 **oooooooooo**

Back on Earth, Terminal has made contact with the Archangel and as Kira was working on the Strike Rouge within the mobile suit hanger while Raul prepared himself for the test of his Excellence Frame within Morgenroete, Murrue's voice came ringing throughout the entire vessel and Morgenroete. _"Kira and Raul to the bridge immediately!"_ she informed, alerting the two pilots of the situation that was now transpiring in space. _"The Terminal has just notified that the Eternal is moving out!"_

Kira was completely shocked the moment he heard that but he and Raul were not the only ones made aware of this as Neo and Athrun heard the announcement from within the infirmary as well. " _They've been found by ZAFT!"_ she continued as Raul and Kira managed to get to the ground then were quick to run to the bridge to find out more on the situation itself.

 _Lacus…_ thought Kira, a look of concern formed on his face as he ran and wanted to do something to help but with the Freedom destroyed there wasn't anything he could do unless there is some form of miracle to happen.

Athrun on the other hand tried to get up and still felt the immense pain from when Shinn destroyed his GOUF Ignited in the attempt to escape Gibraltar. "The Eternal…" he barely muttered a word as memories of Lacus came to his mind. "They need help…"

"Time to get to work." Raul murmured to himself, turning to a large Mobile Suit-like silver mecha that stood in the hangar, as if waiting for the moment to be sprung into action. "Alright, Excellence Flier, looks like we'll be doing that test flight earlier than I thought..."

 **oooooooooo**

In the meantime, the Eternal was still on its intended course to divert the ZAFT forces away from the Terminal but the ship would soon be detected by the three Nazca-class ships that was previously headed in the direction of where it had departed off from. "Ugh… They're fast!" reported one of the crew members of one of the Nazca-class ships in question as they were quick to identify the vessel that they detected on the radar. "They're in the Eternal! What kind of game are they guys playing?"

"Indeed, who would have thought we'd run across a ship that went missing in the confusion at the end of the Great War?" remarked the ship's commander, then felt that they needed to act swiftly in order to intercept the ship as they had no idea on what they are up to. "Where are the Caernarvon and the Holst?"

"Sir, they're at green 22! Charlie and Indigo 8 Alpha!"

"Good, we have them cornered!" grinned the Commander, seeing this as the perfect opportunity to make their strike at them and keep it from escaping from his fleet with GOUF Ignited and ZGMF-1000/A1 Gunner ZAKU Warriors and ZGMF-1000/M Blaze ZAKU Warriors launching from the three Nazca-class ships in order to begin their attack on the Eternal. "Now that we've found those terrorists, they're not getting away from us!"

The crew of the Eternal couldn't believe what was happening as they detected enemy mobile suits coming in their direction along with the Nazca-class ships targeting them. "Green and Indigo! Two more Nazca-classes" said one crew member.

"Incoming ZAKUs and GOUFs!"

"Dammit!" cursed Andy, wishing he can head out there to do something but he has to wait for now until it was clear they wouldn't be able to escape without much needed assistance. "Shake em off! Descend 15 degrees!"

With that said, the Eternal was making its way towards the Earth in hopes of getting into the proper position to send the two newly constructed mobile suits onboard and the documents to the Orb Union, which seemed like a simple task had it not been for the ZAKUs, GOUFS and Nazca-classes chasing them.

 **oooooooooo**

In the Archangel's bridge, Raul and Kira saw the course that the Eternal was currently headed in alongside Mir, Cagalli and Murrue. "I don't know the size of the pursuit force that's after them but they said if they can't get away, they'll drop a pod down to us!" began the brown-haired Captain of the Archangel which in turn caused Kira to become more worried than ever for the safety of the songstress

Kira, Cagalli and Mir were rather shocked that they were willing to risk their lives to send a pod down to Orb since the Eternal much like every ZAFT space vessel made except the Minerva, cannot survive in atmospheric reentry while Raul wondered what the hell the crew of the Eternal is thinking. "Have you made contact with Fiona, Laghe or Mitsuko yet?" he asked, hoping that his sister and their friends were made aware of the situation.

"Negative" responded Pal, shaking his head as no matter how hard he tries there was no reply from either of the three teens which wasn't a good sign to Raul since it could mean on or two things, either something was jamming communications with them or something was attacking them now.

"What do they mean if they can't get away?" Kira asked himself, wondering if they might get captured or killed… It made him shiver as memories of failing to protect Atlantic Federation Vice-Minister George Allster in the Le Creuset Team's attack on the Eighth Fleet's Advanced Force due to being too preoccupied with fighting the Aegis, his failure to protect a shuttle containing the Heliopolis refugees when he tried to stop the GAT-X102 Duel Assault Shroud from destroying it with the beam rifle during the Battle of Orbit, baring witness to Tolle Koenig's death when the GAT-X303 Aegis destroyed FX-550 Skygrasper Unit 2 by throwing its shield right at the cockpit of the defenceless and packless fighter during the death match against Athrun at the Marshall Islands and finally his two failures to save Flay, first at the Battle of Mendel when the GAT-X131 Calamity managed to snatch the ZAFT lifepod she was hailing for help from and bring it onboard the Dominion while the Freedom had lost its left wing and its head to the GAT-X252 Forbidden and the GAT-X370 Raider with Athrun's ZGMF-X09A Justice taking him and his damaged machine onto the Eternal and then at the Second Battle of Jachin Due when the ZGMF-X13A Providence piloted by Rau fired the beam rifle at an EA shuttle that she was onboard which he blocked the initial shot with the Freedom's shield only for one of the DRAGOON units from the Providence to fire from above and destroy the defenceless shuttle, killing his ex-girlfriend in front of him as well as destroy any chance of him possibly finding out what she wanted to tell him ever since he ultimately broke up with her in Orb. He would be dammed if Lacus was to die in the ensuring attack from the ZAFT forces after her. "Lacus…"

Murrue, Neumann, Raul, Cagalli and Mir all remained silent for nearly a few seconds before there was someone making contact with the bridge. _"Yo!"_ they heard Neo's voice as they saw that he was hailing them from within the infirmary despite being a prisoner onboard the warship all while Athrun attempted to get up. " _The guy next to me here doesn't know when to keep still and won't shut up. He say 'Go Kira!'"_

Hearing this news, everyone was surprised by the fact that Neo was willing to send them this message or more specifically send Kira this message. "Athrun…" muttered Kira, unsure of what else to say right now yet in the infirmary, Athrun was lying back on his bed and gripped onto the sheet of his bed as if he was clutching onto his chest, wishing that he could go there to help Lacus himself.

"Protect her… Protect Lacus… No matter what…" muttered Athrun, still in a huge amount of pain as memories of Lacus, Meer and Durandal himself were now in the back of his mind with Meer wanting to stay in Gibraltar when he chose to defect from ZAFT once again as she believed that she truly was Lacus Clyne despite her initially thinking she wouldn't make a good Lacus even if Durandal gave her the chance to be her idol. "Kira…"

Neo had noticed and nodded to himself before turning back to the screen in front of him. "Everything will be over if we lose her…" he said to the crew of the Archangel, hoping that this would be enough to keep Athrun from getting up again in his current condition. "Yep, that's what he said!"

In the bridge, Kira now had a determined expression on his face, replacing the look of uncertainty he had before as he turned his attention towards Cagalli. "I'm using the Rouge, Cagalli!" he told his twin sister, while it may not be the Freedom but he didn't have any other choice as the Eternal could get destroyed if they just waited to see if it can get away on its own. "And I'll need the booster too!"

"Huh?" asked Cagalli before seeing her brother making his way out of the bridge and getting the attention of the others in the process though Raul didn't like the idea of the brown-haired Coordinator thinking he can handle this on his own. "Kira!"

Even Murrue couldn't believe what she is hearing even if the message from earlier was directed specifically towards him. "But Kira!" she called out as he opened the door and wanted to be ready to head on out into space as swiftly as possible.

However, just before exiting the bridge he had one thing he needed to tell his best friend or hoped that Neo could tell him. "Tell Athrun… Thanks!" he informed before the door slid shut and Murrue turned her attention towards the screen, not sure on how to interact with the captive EA pilot.

"You still remember the communication code for the bridge?" she asked with a light smile, somewhat surprised that he had the knowledge of that notion since he wasn't actually a member of the ship's crew but rather a pilot that the Archangel brought onboard following the Battle of Berlin and she could still remember how shocked she was when she saw Neo's face Soon communications ended with Neo somewhat dumbfounded by this and Murrue's expression changed to a more serious look. "I want all hands to support fully!"

In the infirmary, Athrun saw what Neo had done for him and wanted to show his gratitude in a way even though they were originally enemies. "Thank you very much" he said to the former masked pilot, who turned his attention to face the blue-haired young man with a somewhat surprised look in his face as he still had no idea on how he knew the communication code for the bridge to begin with. "Commander La Flaga…"

Needless to say, Neo isn't too thrilled with the fact that people on this ship refer to him as Mu La Flaga since he never met either him or the crew, the latter wasn't the case until his captivity following his Windam being shot down by the Freedom at Berlin. "Oh man, even you're calling me that now?" he asked Athrun, wanting the former ZAFT redcoat to be absolutely clear of who he is. "My is Neo Roanoke! Captain!"

Yet when Athrun looked at Neo, he had a flashback of when the damaged Aile Strike piloted by Mu blocked the Dominion's Lohengrin blast in an act of noble sacrifice, following a losing battle against Rau's new machine the Providence during the Second Battle of Jachin Due, to save not only the Archangel but the crew onboard, including the woman the Hawk of Endymion fell in love with even though Athrun himself wasn't present to actually see the Strike's destruction at the hands of the Dominion.

 **oooooooooo**

Unfortunately things were not going well in the ensuring battle taking place in space as the Eternal was coming under attack by the ZAKU Warriors and GOUF Igniteds with the Blaze ZAKU Warriors firing their AGM138 "Firebee" Guided Missiles in the direction of the pink vessel. "Incoming missiles!" warned one of the crew members of the Eternal.

"Intercept!" commanded Andy, not wanting to take any chances of just trying to dodge the missiles when they can clearly fight back in order to defend themselves. "Starboard cannon, descend 20!"

The pink vessel responded by firing its own missiles to counter the ones that the Blaze ZAKUs shot at them but it wouldn't be enough to stop their assault as more enemy ZAFT mobile suits came in their direction with a Gunner ZAKU Warrior firing the powerful M1500 "Orthros" high-energy long-range beam cannon which the Eternal barely managed to avoid the blast on time. "Don't let the mobile suits lock onto us!" he continued as a GOUF Ignited armed with its MMI-558 "Tempest" Beam Sword approached its target alongside a Gunner ZAKU Warrior. "Anti-Air, open fire!"

The Eternal fired bullets from the CIWS at the two enemy mobile suits, which wasted no time in dodging them yet one of the Nazca-class ship fired its beam cannons, forcing the former ZAFT vessel to dodge the barrage of firepower being used against it before retaliating with the METEOR units though they failed to make a hit and two Blaze ZAKU Warriors fired their missiles again this time, striking with two and another Blaze ZAKU Warrior hit its mark with a single ZR20E High-Explosive Grenade that exploded upon contact, shaking the entire bridge as a result.

As another Gunner ZAKU attempted to get near the Eternal, it's main beam cannon fired and shot it down though the explosion took place almost too close to the bridge with Andy deciding that he shouldn't wait around anymore. "Damn, this is no good!" he got off of his seat and prepared himself to launch into battle. "I'm going out!"

"But Commander…" began DaCosta, trying to convince his superior officer otherwise but to no avail.

"I'll keep these mobile suits at bay, we gotta get some distance!" said Andy, deciding to have DaCosta take his place for the time being while he was in action and before the shaft closed, he had an order to his crew member. "DaCosta, make sure they don't hit the engines okay?"

"Yes sir."

 **oooooooooo**

As this was going on, Kira was in his pilot suit and is already at work in getting the Aile Strike Rouge's OS in order to get it ready for combat but not without some much needed changes to fit his liking. " _What should we do about the voltage and the other specs?"_ asked Murdoch, making contact with the Strike Rouge as it was docked onto a Strike Booster so it will be able to go out into space on its own.

"Use the same settings as the Strike!" answered Kira, the Aile Strike Rouge already had its 57mm High-energy Beam Rifle and shield equipped so all he has to do is get it prepared for the impending mission to come.

" _Gotcha."_

With the Aile Strike Rouge's systems being activated and the voltage and the other specs eventually changed to the same settings as the original Strike, it was now or never. "Mr. Murdoch!" he yelled, a sign for Murdoch and the rest of the tech crew to clear out as the Strike Booster was ready to launch the shaft lifted up with a countdown slowly starting as if it was the launch of a real shuttle.

A secret opening formed from the cliff which will be where the Strike Booster will be exiting from and as the countdown is nearing 0, Murrue made contact with the Aile Strike Rouge. _"You factored in the orbital data right?"_ she asked Kira, needing to be certain that everything is okay with his preparations and final touches. " _The Eternal will be descending!"_

"Yep, all taken care of" answered Kira with a slight nod, this wasn't going to be like the time when he and Athrun managed to get on top of the Kusanagi when it was escaping into space during the Earth Alliance's attack as the Strike Booster doesn't need a Mass Driver to head there nor is there any enemy forces in the area waiting to shoot him down.

" _Course clear!"_ came Mir's voice, making sure everything is all green and the Strike Rouge is now set to launch into action upon the countdown reaching 0. " _Systems all green! Strike Booster go ahead, launch!"_

The Strike Booster's thrusters activated and jets out through the tunnel towards the clear opening with Kira showing another expression of determination. "Launching!" he yelled, activating the PS Armor which instead of changing the Strike Rouge to red and pink, it became the blue, red and white of the original Strike though it's eyes stayed green

Soon afterwards the Strike Booster exited and jetted off into space, with Murrue and Cagalli watching this from the Archangel's bridge in hopes that Kira will be okay on his own yet to be on the safe side, Raul and his Excellence Frame will be preparing itself to head there too if anything went wrong with the red-headed male test pilot getting himself ready. "I just hope you know what you are doing by going through with this" he said to nobody, getting into the cockpit of his Mecha and sighed as this is not part of his initial task.

 **oooooooooo**

The ZGMF-X88S Gaia soon launched from the Eternal and upon entering combat its colors changed to an orange-and-yellow color scheme in order to fit Andy's liking better. "Oh yeah!" he said to himself, donning his custom pilot suit before destroying one Blaze ZAKU Warrior with a single shot of the MA-BAR71XE High-energy Beam Rifle and dodged another shot aimed at him. A GOUF Ignited made its way to the Eternal which he knew that he needed to stop only to move to the left when another Blaze ZAKU Warrior swooped down at him in an effort to slice him in two with the MA-M8 Beam Tomahawk in its right hand.

The Desert Tiger then proceeded to obliterate the Blaze ZAKU Warrior's head with another beam rifle shot then jumped on it and off again before changing the Gaia into its mobile armor mode which resembled the four-legged TMF/A-802 BuCUE, slicing through the cockpit of a GOUF Ignited with the MR-Q17X "Griffon 2" Beam Blade with the crew of the unnamed Nazca-class ship shocked to see the Gaia as last they checked, they should have still had it in their custody after the Minerva managed to recapture the machine from the Earth Alliance on Earth at that lab the ship discovered. "The Gaia?! But how did they get a hold of that?" asked the captain of the nameless Nazca-class vessel. "What kind of organization are we dealing with?"

With the Gaia defending the Eternal, this made making its way to its position to drop the pod to Orb a bit easier as it continued dodging beam fire from one of the Nazca-class ships chasing it. "How much further until we reach the point where we can launch the pod?" Lacus asked DaCosta, who was now sitting in Andy's chair to take charge for the time being.

"I'd say 20… No make it 25!"

Frowning, Lacus knew that they needed to at least hold out and survive long enough to complete their task. "We have to reach that point" she said to him, knowing that with the Freedom destroyed by the Impulse… Kira will need a new sword in order for him to fight back against Durandal and his Destiny Plan. "Please do your best."

"Yes ma'am" he replied back, only for a Gunner ZAKU Warrior to its Orthros at the Eternal which came dangerously close to hitting the ship but had managed to dodge it enough that it would simply graze it instead and the bridge rocked again from the result of that.

While firing the MA-81R Beam Assault Cannons at another ZAFT mobile suit, the attack on the Eternal didn't go unnoticed from Andy. "Dammit!" he cursed, distracted enough so that a GOUF Ignited used its MA-M757 "Slayer Whip" Heat Rod which wrapped itself around the Gaia's beam rifle, delivering an electric charge and causing the shock to destroy the beam rifle in the process but Andy managed to let go of it in time. "Argh!"

Fortunately, help was coming to the Eternal in the form of the Aile Strike Rouge still docked on the Strike Booster with Kira in the cockpit showing a concerned expression on his face and hoped he is not too late to save the pink-haired songstress. _Lacus… I gotta make it…_ he thought to himself.

The same GOUF Ignited was now pinning the Gaia down with its M181SE "Draupni" 4-barrel Beam Gun with Andy forced on the defensive using the MMI-RS1 Mobile Shield in order to protect him from the hellfire of beams targeting him but it will also prevent him from keeping the Eternal safe as another Blaze ZAKU Warrior entered the fray with the beam tomahawk armed.

There was one Blaze ZAKU Warrior that reached the Eternal while avoiding the bullet that targeted it and fired its MMI-M633 Beam Assault Rifle at the ship, which fired three beam shots and the third caused an explosion. Soon a Gunner ZAKU Warrior got is Orthros ready to deliver the finishing blow to the vessel only for something unexpected to happen… Something that caught Andy's remaining eye as a new arrival was entering the battle "What the?!" he muttered, his eye widened in shock as he identified the machine firing the beam rifle even though it was supposed to have been destroyed. "The Strike?!"

The Strike Booster passed by the Gaia, the GOUF Ignited and the two Blaze ZAKU Warriors and the Aile Strike Rouge undocked from the booster before firing a shot from the beam rifle which destroyed the Orthros before a single blast could even be fired. "Huh?" wondered DaCosta as the Aile Strike Rouge then proceeded with firing beam rifle shots which blew off both arms of an opposing GOUF Ignited and a Blaze ZAKU Warrior.

It didn't take long before Lacus immediately recognized the fighting style of the pilot. "Kira?" she spoke in surprise as the Aile Strike Rouge soon appeared right in front of the Eternal and Kira's face appeared on the main screen of the pink vessel's bridge.

" _Lacus! Commander Waltfeld!"_

Lacus floated off her chair for a brief moment and an expression of concern suddenly formed by the fact he came to their aid. "Kira!" she said, now knowing for certain it was him and even Andy couldn't believe the younger pilot suddenly arrived using the Strike Rouge as he saw the mobile suit while it was now in the colors of the original Strike retained its green eyes and the shield was still the original Strike Rouge colors.

"It is you!"

Kira nodded his head to Lacus and Andy to confirm it was indeed him since he couldn't stand by to see them or any of the crew from the Eternal perish in the ensuring battle. "I'm so sorry, but I was worried…" he informed the two before raising the shield to block beam shots from three ZAKU Warriors and one GOUF Ignited, glad the Aile Striker is giving him the mobility needed to dodge shots he didn't need to block then fired three beam rifle shots, each non-lethal as he only targeted the limbs and weapons of the ZAKUs and a fourth shot is fired at the GOUF Ignited which dodged the beam with ease.

Suddenly a single Gunner ZAKU Warrior came into position and Kira saw this, immediately jetting off in the direction of the enemy ZAFT mobile suit which fires its Orthros before any of the Eternal's crew could react. The blast never made contact with the ship as the Aile Strike Rouge managed to block it with the shield… However, unlike the beam rifle shots, the blast from the Gunner ZAKU Warrior was too powerful which caused the poor shield to explode and destroyed the left arm with another blast blowing off the Rouge's right arm. Yet with swift thinking, the Gaia grabbed hold of the Strike Rouge's beam rifle which was still intact and fired a shot that destroyed the Gunner Wizard Pack. "Dumb kid! Get onboard the Eternal before it's too late!" ordered Andy, instructing Kira to head for the Eternal which surprised Kira at first though the Desert Tiger's scowl changed to a grin as he continued. "Go and get your new machine."

Hearing this, he had no choice but to comply as with the Aile Strike Rouge now armless there wasn't anything more that he could do and the fact he has a new machine waiting for him made the younger pilot curious on what it was. "Uh… okay…" he replied to the Tiger and took his leave, looking forward to seeing the pink-haired leader of the TSA again after so long.

As the Desert Tiger provided support fire for retreating the Aile Strike Rouge, Kira soon bore witness to another Gunner ZAKU Warrior aiming its Orthros at the Eternal and with no shield this time… He needed to use something else to intercept the attack. With a serious expression, he decided to eject the Aile Striker in the direction of the Gunner ZAKU Warrior moments before the blast from the ZAKU machine was fired… Resulting in the Aile Striker taking the hit for the Eternal and was immediately destroyed in the process but at least Lacus and the Eternal's crew were safe.

" _Emergency retrieval systems ready!"_ said one of the Eternal's crew members as the Strike Rouge'a legs were suddenly blasted off by enemy fire but Kira is fortunate that the emergency retrieval systems activated even though the Rouge was now left with no arms, no legs and no Striker Pack as it was then brought onboard the pink vessel with Lacus praying to god that Kira is alright.

 **oooooooooo**

" **MISTAKES, NO MATTER HOW ONE TRIES TO AVERT THEM, DO EXIST. AND AS MISTAKES EXIST, SO DOES THE TRUTH**."

"WHAT? Who... who are you? What do you mean by that?" Fiona frantically looked around, trying to somehow keep the pace of the automated combat robots that, now beyond all control, were focusing all their fury on her. The Tauruses kept shooting their lasers, forcing the girl to desperately zigzag among the beams of light. Luckily for her, the Excellence C was quite nimble and was able to avoid all attacks, but Fiona still couldn't find the time to stop and unleash a counterattack. Cursing to herself, the redhead deployed her Fairies, and the small funnel-like guided cannons flew from the back compartment, in front of the Excellence, and opened fire with deadly precision" Three Tauruses and one Aestivalis, the latter coming forth to try and attack directly, were pierced by the Fairies' laser beams and exploded, allowing Fiona to breathe a momentary sigh of relief.

"So?" Fiona called again for the mysterious speaker. "I'm asking you again... wh the Hell are you? Show yourself! You're the one responsible for all this mess, aren't you?". Much to her disappointment, the girl saw more unmanned units of various models coming out of the hangars... and towards both her and the research center!

" **I AM THE ONE WHO BEHOLDS MISTAKES. I AM THE ONE WHO COMMITS MISTAKES. I AM...** " the disembodied voice started answering, cutting itself short just when it seemed to be about to give its name. Not that Fiona cared too much, at that point, since she had seen a group of Tauruses and Zakus coming dangerously close to the laboratories - exactly the rooms where Lahge and Mitsuko were at that moment! The brave redhead almost choked in worry for her only friends and tried to reach the offending Mobile Suits, recalling her Fairies before they could fire more shots... but the small thermoguided cannons were still busy with other enemy units coming from all directions! Now, the number of attackers had risen by about a dozen... and it didn't seem to be about to decrease, since whenever one was taken down, another took its place.

"D-damn... is there no end to these guys?" Fiona exclaimed as she unsheathed her beam saber to parry a mass-produced Aestivalis' Field Lancer. The smaller robot had managed to dodge the Fairies' attacks, but the Excellence C, with a little effort, was able to push it away from itself and took advantage of its moment of unbalance to skewer it with its sword. The Aestivalis collapsed in a heap, but a Zaku and a Taurus were immediately upon Fiona, who was forced to once more forsake the research center to defend herself. In frustration and despair, Fiona managed to open a communication with her friends and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"LAHGE! MITSUKO! Get out of there, now! Don't worry about me, I'll manage somehow! RUN AWAY!"

"I KNEW IT!" Chief Miwa practically roared, as he saw the approaching Mobile Suits, halfway between furiously angry and in blind panic. "I knew these Montoya Research Labs were just a damn bunch of outlaws and traitors! They set this all up to get us killed! I'm sending you straight to court-martial and I'm having you hanged, you dirty alien-loving scum! You will not get away with this, YOU HEAR ME?"

Lahge and Mitsuko were too busy working at their consoles, in a desperate attempt at getting the situation back under control, to really care about the fanatic General's words... and other two inspectors were needed to put the screaming madman under control.

"Admiral Sakimori, you will calm yourself!" one of the inspectors exclaimed, as he started dragging the furious admiral towards the automated doors of the lab. The other New Federation military agents were already pouring out into the corridor. "Now, all we can do is get away from this place and go back to our shuttle! So please calm yourself and follow me!"

"Hey, hold on a second there!" Mitsuko screamed in panic, raising her head from the consoles. "What... what are you trying to do? You can't leave us here alone without..."

She was denied the chance to complete her sentence, as Miwa and the restraining officer had already gone through the sliding metal doors, which then closed behind them... and locked automatically, leaving the two young researchers stranded in the control room... which was dangerously close to being destroyed! Mitsuko felt her blood run cold: those so-called "important people" had abandoned them to their fate without thinking twice, only attempting to save themselves!

"I... I... can't... believe it..." the young purple-haired girl murmured, trembling in fear. "We... we... will have to... die here? Wait... wait a moment... I... I'm not ready yet... I don't want to... I don't want to end like that... FIONA, HELP US! PLEASE, HELP US!"

Outside, the Excellence C dodged a beam saber thrust from a Taurus and quickly struck back with its own saber, skewering the automated MS's engine. As the Taurus fell, Fiona deftly sprinted backwards and sent two of her Fairies to distract the enemy... then, she took advantage of the brief moment of reprise to reach the labs and crouch towards it, making it so that the cockpit was more or less at the same height of the windows. Sure, it wasn't the easiest or safest escape method... but considering the situation, there was no time to think of anything else! Lahge and Mitsuko's only hope was to pray they wouldn't get exposed to the external void...

"Quick, Lahge! Mitsuko! Climb on board! I don't know how much longer I can hold against these things!" Fiona exclaimed, as an emergency door opened on the side of the Excellence C's head, near the place where the two young researchers were. "Shatter that window and climb on board the Excellence-C! It's our only hope!"

Seeing their mutual friend offering her a way out of that predicament seemed to assuage Mitsuko's panic attack, and the young researcher swallowed some saliva and calmed down before turning to Lahge. "F-Fiona... I'm so glad... you came... All... alright then, we're coming! Lahge! Lahge, what are we waiting for?"

"Just a moment, I'm coming!" the bespectacled young man answered. He had reached a still-functioning console and entered a combination of keys... then, he grabbed a still-smoldering pipe that had fallen a few moments before, and reached the glass screen the Excellence C was close to. With a brief yell, the boy smashed the glass open and pushed both himself and Mitsuko inside the tunnel to the combat robot's cockpit. The hatch opened briefly, just enough to allow the two researchers to slide down to the cockpit without being harmed by the external void, then the door silently slid shut and the Excellence C quickly stood up, just in time to avoid a machine gun barrage from one of the MP Aestivalises...

"Kyah!" Mitsuko screamed. "Fi... Fiona! Thank heavens, I don't think I and Lahge could ever repay you enough for this! You... you saved us all!"

"No problem, Mitsuko... but it all still rides on me! If I can't get past these guys, it will be all for nothing anyway!" Fiona answered as she tried to find a comfortable position on her seat. The cockpit had been made for a single pilot, and now there were three people inside... which meant that the red-haired pilot barely had enough space to move her cloche around!

"Don't worry, Fiona..." Lahge reassured her, attempting to squeeze as much as possible, while keeping his glasses on. "Before we evacuated... I managed to send an SOS signal... If... if there is someone close enough to come to help us... hopefully they will intervene!"

"Hmph... yeah, like those guys, for instance?" Fiona cynically growled. On one of the Excellence C's screens, the New Federation shuttle could be seen speeding away from the battle, taking the Federation agents with it! Seeing those people abandon them like that, Fiona couldn't help bursting in an array of unladylike insults, without too much regard for the ears of anyone nearby! "You miserable assholes! Go, save your sorry asses without giving a crap of anyone else, will you? What was I expecting from New Federation officers, anyway? I hope you all die!"

"Don't think about them, Fiona! Don't get distracted, or we won't last long against those!" Lahge exclaimed. Fiona turned her attention back to the battlefield, seeing a group of Tauruses and Aesivalises getting past the Fairies' cover fire. Biting down a curse, Fiona had the Excellence C take off again, giving herself and her friends a temporary respite. But as she did so, the cockpit shook, sending Lahge and Mitsuko to slam comically against the cockpit's walls!

"Kyah! Look where you're touching!" Mitsuko shouted, feeling something on her back...

"Lahge! You're touching Mitsuko's hips! Keep your hands down!" Fiona protested as she saw where her male friend's hands had involuntarily gone...

Lahge blushed in embarassment and tried to detach himself from the wall... but because of the restricted space and the continuous rocking, it turned out to be quite difficult! "Ugh... sorry, sorry! It was an accident... but let's not talk about this now! They're coming at us!"

In fact, as Fiona could plainly see, some Taurus and Aestivalis units had taken off as well, as were trying to close the distance to avoid the Fairies. Fiona unsheathed her beam saber once again and ran it through an Aestivalis, before sending it hurtling towards the Moon surface, where it exploded in a huge red fireball. Even so, the number of attackers was still too high for them to handle...

"Dammit, if this keeps up..." Fiona swore...

...but she had no time to follow up before a powerful laser beam, coming from somewhere to her left, struck the Aestivalis nearest to her dead center and destroyed it! With a startled yelp, Fiona turned in that direction...

The attacker had been a custom-model blue Aestivalis armed with the model's traditional weapons - a Rapid Rifle, a dagger for close combat and a two-handed Field Lancer, but the slight shine of the Distortion Field could be seen around its body as it sped towards the remains of the lunar base. After a moment of silent surprise, Fiona thanked fate for sending that blue Aestivalis in their aid...

" _Looks like we came just in time, huh_?" a self-assured boyish voice rang out from Fiona's speaker. " _We received your emergency call, and thought we might as well give you a hand here_!"

"Er... much appreciated, we were actually starting to sweat here!" Fiona answered, trying to get visual contact with the other pilot. The AI-piloted units had stopped briefly, as if to evaluate the unexpected situation... which gave Fiona and the newcomer all the time to organize themselves.

A comm window opened up on Fiona's screens, showing the smiling face of a long-haired blond boy with a red curl of hair descending on his forehead and wearing the typical uniform of the New Federation's Aestivalis pilots. As he saw Fiona, the young man saluted briskly and winked, trying to act as charming as possible!

" _It's always a pleasure for me to save a damsel in distress! And her friends too, while I'm at it_!" was his introduction. " _Takasugi Saburota of the Nadesico-B... at your service_!"

"Nadesico-B?" Lahge parroted uncertainly before noticing another dot on the Excellence C's radar. An elongated, dynamic-looking battleship, completely white with blue and grey trimming, was closing in, very much resembling the legendary Nadesico, the mobile battleship that had put an end to the Earth-Jovian war a few years earlier. It appeared that the first model had had success, and the New Federation was fielding a new one...

Saburota turned his attention to the group of automated Tauruses and Aestivalises, pointing his Rapid Rifle at them. "So... here are the felons trying to hurt the lady, huh?" he asked rhetorically. "Very well then, guess I'll have to rough you up a little!"

 **oooooooooo**

Onboard the Nadesico-B, a young black-haired boy sitting at the comm officer's position did not seem very pleased with Saburota's words. "Lt. Saburota!" he exclaimed with some indignation. "I thought you Jovian Union pilots were serious and brave soldiers!"

" _Well, am I not being brave, in this moment_?" Saburota answered with a light-hearted shrug. Needless to say, this did not assuage the black-haired boy's frustration, but he didn't get the time to answer to that, as the person sitting in the captain's seat spoke before him: a young girl not much older than fourteen, with long silver hair tied in a pair of pigtails at the sides of her head, large amber eyes, extremely pale complexion, and a serious, mysterious and at the same times melanchonic demeanor. There was something about her that immediately denounced her as someone different from any other human.

"Lt. Saburota, I'm counting on you." she said, much to her black-haired peer's displeasure.

"But... captain!" he tried to protest. But the young silver-haired girl ignored him and started communicating with the Excellence C by simply moving her gloved hands on the console.

"This is High Mobile Battleship Nadesico B, of the New Earth Federation's Fourth Fleet. Captain Ruri Hoshino speaking." she said. "You sent that SOS message earlier, did you not?"

" _We're going to have to explain things later_..." Lahge answered. " _For now... could you please help us out? We're barely managing to keep ourselves alive with this prototype_!"

"Acknowledge." Ruri answered. "Lt. Saburota, aid the unidentified unit. We'll act as long distance support."

 **oooooooooo**

"Er... sorry, Lahge, are you really sure we can trust these guys?" A slightly bewildered Fiona asked. "I mean, not that I'm not thankful, but they seem a little... out there to me, that's all!"

"Well, Fiona, there's someone else coming, if you're interested in that." Mitsuko answered, as a few more dots lit up on the radar, coming from the opposite direction of the Nadesico B. "Another battleship and a few Mobile Suits are being detected at the moment... though I really don't recognize the models..."

"What?" Fiona asked, as she turned in the direction of the newcomers. A large white battleship, reminescent of the famous White Base, was approaching slowly, and in front of it were a trio of speedy mobile weapons: a white jet-like fighter with blue and red trimming; a bulky white Gundam with thick blue armor on its chest and shoulders, along with a double-barreled beam rifle mounted on its right arm; and a sleek grey-blue Gundam with red trimming on its abdomen, arms and lower legs, armed with a beam rifle and an elongated shield, whose appearence reminded one of the famous Zeta Gundam. Both Gundams and had the typical V-shaped antenna on their foreheads.

The jet sped forwards and shot a barrage of missiles against the automated units, striking down a Taurus and a pair of Aestivalis... and when the two Gundams got close enough, they opened fire as well, greatly reducing the enemy units' numbers. Surprised by the three pilots' skill - obviously superior to her own - Fiona almost didn't see that one of them was trying to communicate with her. When she finally opened the connection, she saw a young man approaching his thirties appearing on the screen. His reddish-brown hair was short and somewhat curly, and his face gave a vibe of experience, confidence and a still-visible innocence.

" _To the unidentified unit. You were the ones who sent that distress call_." The young man, obviously the pilot of the plane-like robot, began. " _This is Captain Amuro Ray of Terminal, affiliated to the Neo Earth Federation and designated pilot of the Re-GZ. We have come to help_."

Two more comm windows opened up, showing the helmeted faces of two younger pilots - a black-haired young boy with deep green eyes and a strangely harmless and gentle look for a professional pilot; and a beautiful purple-haired girl that seemed to be a couple years his junior, with reddish eyes and a more professional, yet still gentle, demeanor. " _Pilot Judau Ashta speaking. Pilot of the Double Zeta Gundam and member of Terminal_." the black-haired boy hailed the Excellence C's pilot.

" _Lt. Roux Louka speaking. Former member of the AEUG, and now affiliated to Terminal as well_." the purple-haired pilot introduced herself. " _Pilot of the Gundam Mk-3. We can wait for the details later_."

"Roger!" Mitsuko answered. "But be careful! Although they're piloted by AI, those training dummies are armed with live ammunition!"

" _Acknowledge_!" Amuro answered. " _Judau, Roux, support me. We have to take out all enemy units_."

" _Roger_!" the younger pilots answered in unison. The ZZ Gundam attacked first, shooting a barrage of lasers from its double-barreled beam rifle. The outdated Mobile Suits and the Aestivalises were completely outclassed... and in fact, a few fractions of second later, most of them were struck by the beams and wiped out! The few survivors were quickly annihilated by the beam cannon on the Re-GZ's nozzle and by the Gundam MK-3's beam rifle... and those who had kept fighting against the Excellence C and Saburouta's blue Aestivalis had no better luck, as they had lots the advantage of overwhelming numbers, and both Fiona and Saburouta were far too skilled for a few simple AIs.

Saburouta easily deflected a pair of Tauruses' beam sabers and, with a lightning-quick, almost impossible to see, movement, he unsheathed his Aestivalis' combat knife and plunged it deep into the screen-like face of the nearest Taurus. The OZ Mobile Suit's internal computer shut down immediately, sending the Taurus tumbling to the lunar surface... and one second later, Saburouta pointed his Rapid Rifle against his opponents and fired a devastating salvo, just as the Excellence C pointed a pair of guns against the last remaining MP-Aestivalis. Fiona opened fire with both guns, striking with lethal accuracy, and the enemy Aestivalis blew up with a satisfying firework, putting an end to that unexpected battle.

"Phew... that was really close!" Fiona breathed in relief as he collapsed on her pilot seat, exhausted. "We were lucky those two ships managed to intercept our distress call... but I'm afraid the research center is lost. Those automated units did quite a number on it..."

Fiona moved her robot's main camera to show what had happened to the research center... and both Lahge and Mitsuko, especially the latter, were horrified by what they saw: very little of their labs had remained standing, and most of the data contained in the memory bank had been destroyed along with them. Pretty much all the data gathered from the trial flight of the Excellence C before that strange disembodied voice intervened were irrevocably lost...

"My... my data... our research..." a distraught Mitsuko murmured, her hand clenched into a fist near her heart. "I... I can't believe it, we risked our lives for this test... and nothing remains!"

"We're still alive and our research data have not been completely destroyed, we should count our blessings..." the more rational Lahge answered, holding what looked like a red USB pen between his left thumb and index. "And... what we've lost today, we can make up for in another occasion."

"Yeah, Lahge, I think that will make Mitsuko feel better... really..." Fiona muttered sarcastically. "Anyway, Mitsuko, let's not cry over split milk here. I have taken the liberty of using the Excellence's internal CPU to record the data myself... so, all in all, the damage is minimal. The problem is, that now we don't have a research base anymore..."

" _We could help you with that_." Fiona heard the voice of the Nadesico B's captain, the mysterious silver-haired girl named Ruri Hoshino. " _We may not know the specifics, but we do know that your labs were researching some very important topics. Now that you've lost your base, we could help you. Obviously, if this is okay with you and our Terminal colleagues. Hari-kun, could you hail the Terminal battleship_?"

" _Yes, Captain Hoshino_!" the young second-in-command answered. Fiona, Lahge and Mitsuko waited a few seconds for the communication to be broadcast to the other battleship... and sure enough, another comm window popped up besides Ruri's showing the captain of the Terminal ship - a tall black-haired man with a serious demeanor whose facial traits betrayed his Western Europe ancestry (a part of the world not fondly remembered, as it had often been a past victim of Blue Cosmos' depredations), wearing a decorated uniform indicating his high rank in the semi-governative organization known as Terminal - a group founded after the second battle at Jachin Due, playing a fundamental role in stemming the ambitions of Char Aznable's Neo Zeon and Gilbert Durandal's ZAFT.

There was no mistaking him: he was the famous Captain Bright Noa, the commander of the White Base, the Argama and the Near Argama!

" _Captain Hoshino_?" Bright answered Ruri's call. He didn't seem surprised by the Nadesico captain's young age, which confirmed to both Fiona and his friends that they were at least familiar with each other. " _We have some place for the refugees on the Ral Kairam, and I'm sure Lady Lacus would consent as well. However, I'd prefer to give the lab personnel freedom of choice. Either way, my suggestion would be for you to pick them up, as you do seem to be somewhat short on pilots_."

" _Heh... that's true, you know_?" Saburota commented. " _My Aestivalis is worth two or three of them, but I still remain the only pilot on board the Nadesico B. I kinda feel lonely_..."

Mitsuko couldn't help but giggle a little at this. To be a professional pilot of the former Jupiter Empire, that guy was kind of easygoing...

" _What did you say about this, unknown unit_?" Ruri finally asked, as Amuro's Re-GZ and the ZZ Gundam and the Gundam Mk-3 retreated slightly, never straying too far from the Ral Kairam. They seemed to be waiting for Fiona and her friends to decide... and the red-haired girl looked at Lahge and Mitsuko as if to ask for their advice.

"Well, Fiona, if you ask me... we'd better go with the Nadesico B... that's that battleship's name, right?" Mitsuko answered. "Lahge, what do you think about it?"

The bespectacled young man looked uninterested in such discussions, as long as someone could take them out of hot water. "I'm fine with whatever you decide." he affirmed.

Fiona nodded, before answering to Ruri and her second-in-command. "Alright then, Nadesico B. The Excellence C's crew accepts your offer, and proceeds to docking with your ship. Thanks for your aid."

" _Roger, Excellence C crew. Hari, prepare the hangars for their approach. Lt. Saburouta, escort the unit to the Nadesico_ B." Ruri answered, once again showing few traces of emotion. " _Crew of the Ral Kairam, we are thankful for your offer. We will take care of the refugees ourselves_."

" _Alright then_." Bright answered. " _We'll pray for the success of your mission, and we'll trust you with the safety of the refugees. Re-GZ, ZZ Gundam, Gundam Mk-3, return to the ship. We're resuming our mission_."

" _Roger that, Captain Bright_." Roux, the female pilot of the Gundam Mk-3, answered. " _We wish the Nadesico B's crew a safe continuation as well_."

" _Good luck to you all_." Amuro concluded, as the Re-GZ and the two Gundams flew back to the Ral Kairam.

" _Hehee... well, if it isn't good luck for us_!" Saburota commented as the Ral Kairam's pilots went back to their ship. " _It is rare to save two beautiful girls in the middle of the cold, uncaring space. Do not worry, you and your friend are in good hands! I'm sure you'll find yourselves confortable on the Nadesico B_!"

Fiona was still unsure what to make of that guy. "Er... we're very thankful for that! And... we do hope there can be support between our teams!"

As the Excellence C floated towards the Nadesico B, Saburouta's Super Aestivalis on tow, Fiona, Lahge and Mitsuko found themselves wondering what they had gotten themselves into, and how all that would have turned out...

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

 **Author's Note: A minor note, but... you'll notice that I added a few elements to canon, like for example the Taurus' beam saber which that particul type of Mobile Suit never used in Gundam Wing. Consider that my way of adding things that - in my humble opinion - make sense. I'll try not to stray too much from canon, though.**

 **And in Kira and Athrun's place, Judau and Roux show up to help Fiona in this newest version of my saga! I always liked ZZ, so... I decided to put them in earlier!**

 **There! That's all for this episode! Wait patiently for the next one, where we'll meet some of this story's villains!**


	4. Towards Amaterasu

**SUPER ROBOT WARS S REVAMPED**

 **oooooooooo**

 **Just a little note before we continue on with the story, I decided that I will indeed use Tolle/Mir and Andy/Aisha (believe it or not, Tolle does have the potential to make a pretty good pilot with the right amount of experience). I know that the Dearka/Mir fans will be disappointed at this decision but trust me, Super Robot Taisen G Redux will use the Dearka/Mir pairing so no need to worry. I also have another SRW story in the works, so I will probably use that pairing even then.**

 **Oh… and yes, I am aware that the Kusanagi, the Tsukyomi, the Susanoo and even the Izumo were not in any Super Robot Wars game. But hey, it doesn't hurt to mix things up a little to make the story more interesting. As for why I am using both Raul and Fiona instead of just Fiona… well, I would have to thank Dragoon Swordsman's Super Robot Taisen story Knights of the Moon for incorporating both Toya and Calvina into the saga. It inspired me to use both protagonists of SRW R**

 **With that said, here comes the new chapter!**

 **ooooooooooo**

 **Chapter 4 – Towards Amaterasu**

Lacus Clyne had a concerned expression on her face as she bore witnesses to the legless, armless and packless MBF-02 Strike Rouge being brought onboard the Eternal, praying with every fiber of her being that Kira wasn't banged up from having to come all the way from Earth just to save her and the Eternal's crew from the attacking ZAFT Nazca-class ships and their MS forces which are still pursuing them as they speak. "Kira!" she called out to him, waiting to greet the now former pilot of the ZGMF-X10A Freedom as she wanted to see the boy she fell in love with again.

Opening the cockpit of the trashed Strike Rouge, Kira floated out and made his way towards Lacus not even bothering to deactivate the PS Armor or imagining how his twin sister Cagalli would react if she was to learn of what happened to her mobile suit as he saw the pinkette was waiting for him. "Lacus!" he spoke, not wanting to keep her waiting any longer because he needed to be certain that she's alright even if there was still a battle being fought that had to be won. After all, even an ace such as Andy wasn't going to last much long the ZAFT forces by himself.

"Kira!" Lacus said, greeting the young ace pilot. "I am glad to see you. At the moment, we are in a difficult position with ZAFT and the Neo Zeon forces."

"I know, that is why I tried to join you as soon as I could." Kira answered with a nod. "I heard that the new machine has been completed, too."

The pink-haired songstress nodded with a small smile. "Yes… The Strike Freedom Gundam is ready. If you want, you can take a look at it, as well."

The young man nodded, and Lacus led Kira to the hangars the newly constructed Mobile Suit was awaiting him. He was quite simply stunned with the appearance of one of the new Terminal Mobile Suits: it looked like the ill-fated Mobile Suit it was an improved version of, and yet, the differences were quite plain: it looked noticeably more agile, more polished and much more powerful than its destroyed counterpart, and it sported what looked like a group of blue DRAGOON pods on its back, sprouting out of the mighty Mobile Suit's back like wings, and also had a pair of railguns mounted on its hips. It looked powerful and majestic, almost giving out a palpable aura of power.

"About the Mobile Suit..." Kira began; taking a more attentive look at what would later become his most powerful Mobile Suit. "I see that you have incorporated the DRAGOON system into it..." Although Lacus was now his secret fiancé, she managed to feel a pang of pain in the brown-haired boy's voice. The tragic memories of two years ago, when the girl whom Kira loved was killed by a shot from a DRAGOON pod, was still fresh in Kira's mind...

"Still… Thanks, Lacus…" he spoke again, smiling as now it seemed like he will be able to make a proper difference and it seemed fitting to receive his new Gundam from the woman he had fallen in love with, after all she did give him the Freedom two years ago after he healed from the injuries he acquired when Athrun self-destructed the GAT-X303 Aegis in a last ditch effort to destroy the GAT-X105+AQM/E-X01 Aile Strike at the Marshall Islands. "With this new machine, I can fight properly, the way I know how…"

"Kira…"

Kira didn't give her a chance to finish as he placed his hands into hers in a very loving gesture and could tell she was becoming really worried for him but she didn't need to continue doing so now that he's here. "Wait here, I'll be right back…" he reassured her with the smile on his face not fading. "And then we'll return… back to our friends."

Remaining silent, Lacus knew that he was right as if he was able to survive three life-threatening events that would have killed any other pilot in battle; he should be fine since he now had the machine she wanted to give him. "Okay…" she responded in a soft voice, slowly nodding her head in understanding as it was for the best. "Now, I know you need to rendez-vous with the Eternal as they arrive here. You and the new pilot, Raul Grayden, are our best chances to win against ZAFT and Neo Zeon right now. The Strike Freedom is basically ready…"

"I know. Losing an Excellence model is not an option either." Kira answered. "We need to begin preparations right now, and head out as soon as the Strike Freedom is operative. This is a battle we cannot afford to lose."

Lacus nodded silently, understanding Kira's point. The moment of the final showdown with ZAFT was getting closer.

 **oooooooooo**

"Alright, ol' pal… let's show these ZAFT goons what we're about!" Raul smiled to himself as his combat robot, the Excellence Cosmodriver frame, as he dodged in and out of the barrage of beams shot towards him by the ZAFT Mobile Suits they were facing. The team, led by Andrew Waltfeldt and his Gaia Gundam, was on its way to rendez-vous with the Strike Freedom, and the Eternal… but on its way there, it was attacked by a rather large ZAFT battalion, trying to intercept them before they could make contact with their allies. And now, Raul was doing the best he could to hold out until their allies arrived – the Excellence-C, a speedy machine specialized for space combat that looked very much like Fiona's own Cosmodriver Frame, wielding two large Hi-Coat Magnum guns in its hands, and with a pair of glowing High Frequency Swords erupting from its elbows, was the best machine he could use in a space battle, and it was still holding its own pretty well against the main ZAFT force. But still, Raul was hoping some ally reinforcements would intervene soon and take some heat off their shoulders.

Raul skillfully dodged most attacks, but a couple of beams nicked the Excellence-C's armor, and another one damaged the wing-like extentions on the back of the combat robot's back. The red-headed young man grit his teeth and took aim, firing a series of large bullets from his Hi-Magnum guns, and a few of them struck a ZAKU Warrior dead-on, destroying it, while close by, the Gaia Gundam sliced through a GOUF Ignited with its beam saber, but more enemies seemed to take their place by the moment.

"Well, this is quite a problem we're facing." Andy commented, noticing a squadron of enemies approaching. "Unless we shoot down these guys, we will not be able to rejoin with Lady Lacus."

"I know, Commander Waltfeldt." Raul answered, his High Frequency Swords blocking a ZAKU Warrior's axe. "We must at least hold out until we get reinforcements." He managed to take a quick look at his onboard instruments, and noticed a strange blip appearing on the radar. "Wait! I think someone else is arriving! It's a pretty huge thing… could that be the Eternal, Commander Waltfeldt?"

"Heh… I'm willing to bet my shoelaces it is, kid!" the Desert Tiger answered, smiling confidently as he saw the large shape of the Eternal on his own radar. He quickly dodged an attack from a ZAKU Warrior and turned to the direction from which the blip was coming – and sure enough, the telltale pink battleship that had been a symbol of freedom and resistance during the previous war was there, looming gloriously upon the battlefield! "And here they are! Lady Lacus has arrived at the right moment… we are glad to see you, Lady Lacus! We trust the new Mobile Suit is ready to take to the battlefield too!"

"It is, Commander Waltfeldt." Lacus answered, appearing on the Gaia's comm screen dressed in her battle kimono, the same one she wore when she led the Three Ships Alliance in the previous war. "And I see you have done a great job yourselves, facing such superior numbers. Now, allow us to lend a hand. The Strike Freedom Gundam will arrive momentarily to support you."

"Impeccable timing!" Raul answered with a trusting nod, as he maneuvered his Excellence-C out of the range of the incoming enemies. A blast from his Hi-Coat Magnum dissuaded a couple of Blaze ZAKU Phantoms from following, and the young pilot turned to the Eternal with a relieved expression, just in time to see the Strike Freedom Gundam launching from it, looking like a streaking of white, red and blue energy that cut a swathe through space. "Wow, so that's the new Strike Freedom, huh? Looks pretty impressive!"

The ZAFT forces were shocked the moment they saw a new mobile suit launching from the Eternal and tried to shoot it down. The ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom easily blocked the beam rifle shots with the MX2200 Beam Shield generated on the left forearm' beam shield generator then used the two MA-M2 1KF High Energy Beam Rifles to destroy the missiles from a Blaze ZAKU Warrior that were aimed right at the Eternal itself.

One GOUF Ignited and Blaze ZAKU Warrior evaded a beam rifle shot from the Gaia as even the Desert Tiger and Raul, who was in the cockpit of his Excellence Flier, were in awe at seeing what the newly constructed Strike Freedom was capable of by far, smiling as he watched it draw one of the two MA-M02G "Super Lancerta" Beam Sabers from its hip while evading beam rifle fire before beheading the two Blaze ZAKU Warriors that tried to at take it down. "What the?" wondered one of two GOUF Ignited pilots, both of which were male ZAFT pilots donning red pilot suits normally worn by redcoats within the military. "Where did that come from?"

"Is that a new model? It's fast!"

The two ZAFT mass-produced machines headed to intercept it and one fired its M181SE "Draupnir" 4-barrel Beam Cannon and upon further examination, they were shocked as it bore a striking resemblance to the ill-fated ZGMF-X10A Freedom that was destroyed by the Minerva's mobile suit the ZGMF-X56S/a Force Impulse during Operation Angel Down. "The Freedom!"

Still armed with its beam saber, the Strike Freedom evaded the hell-fire of beam shots due to its superior mobility and sliced off the arm before the redcoat could react. Then, once again armed with its beam sabers, fired to disable three more mobile suits, one GOUF Ignited and two ZAKU Warriors before another GOUF Ignited used its MA-M757 "Slayer Whip" Heat Rod, wrapping itself around the Strike Freedom's right leg and a third GOUF Ignited had its own "Slayer Whip" wrapped onto the left arm.

Just as they were about to electrify the Strike Freedom into submission, Kira acted quickly and activated one of his new machine's hidden surprises as, unleashing the eight EQFU-3X Super DRAGOON Mobile Weapon Wing & MA-80V Beam Assault Cannons from the wings with a light effect suddenly took effect, similar to the one used by the Destiny in ZAFT and Neo Zeon's attack on Heaven's Base. The DRAGOON Pods fired their beams at the enemy mobile suits that tried to gang up on the Strike Freedom much to the shock of the two redcoat pilots. "Huh?" muttered one redcoat in complete dismay.

"W…what's happening?!" asked the other moments before the damage done to their mobile suits not only took them out of the fight but also freed the Strike Freedom in the process.

Immediately activating the Multi Lock-On System, Kira began targeting multiple enemy mobile suits and attacked them using the sheer power of the Strike Freedom's Full Burst Mode, using the MMI-GAU27D 31nn CIWS, both beam rifles, all eight DRAGOONs, both MMI-M15E "Xiphias 3" Railguns and the MGX-2235 "Calidus" Multi-Phase Beam Cannon all at once. The remaining ZAFT forces were in complete dismay as their ZAKU Warriors and GOUF Igniteds were all disabled with one Full Burst blast from the newest enemy machine, while onboard the Eternal, DaCosta and Lacus were all impressed by how well Kira was handling using the Strike Freedom.

The crews of the Holst, the Caernarfon and the nameless Nazca-class ship were completely shocked as they thought they've had the Eternal cornered and yet this new unknown mobile suit that resembled the Freedom easily defeated all their mobile suits with little to no effort. "Two minutes?!" exclaimed the commander of the nameless Nazca-class ship in shock. "He defeated twenty-five ZAKUs and GOUFs… and he did it in two minutes?!"

The Strike Freedom soon jetted towards the three Nazca-class ships, the alarms on the nameless vessel alerted him of what was approaching. "Incoming mobile suit! he heard one of the crew members warning him and he wanted them to take action before it's too late.

"All guns, open fire! Shoot it down!""

All three Nazca-class vessels fired their 177cm High Energy Bean Cannons at the approaching Strike Freedom in order to try and defend themselves without their mobile suits to back them up but to no avail as it quickly evaded all their beam fire and countered with its "Xiphias 3" Railguns to destroy the engines of one Nazca-class ship. Activating the eight DRAGOON Pods again, a Newtype flash appeared right before Kira eyes as he was about to put an end to this chase once and for all. "HIT THEM!" he ordered, the DRAGOON Pods fired from many different directions and damaged all three Nazca-classes which left the Commander of the nameless one in deep shock.

"Thrusters destroyed! We can't control the ship!" he heard one of the crew members declare, horrified that one mobile suit was able to do this kind of damage to them by itself and with the way things went… there's no way they'll be able to continue its pursuit of the Eternal now. "The Holst and the Caernarfon have lost navigational control."

"This is… crazy…"

With the ZAFT forces defeated, the Strike Freedom began to head back to meet with the Eternal and the Gaia… leaving the defeated enemy wondering what kind of mobile suit they were facing off against earlier as well as why the pilot didn't finish them at all.

Waltfeld and Raul were impressed with the fact the Strike Freedom managed to disable twenty-five mobile suits in a matter of two minutes as well as the three Nazca-class ships that came after them. "Eternal, I'm on my way back!" Andy hailed the pink ship before returning while Kira was relieved that he managed to successfully save the Eternal as his new Gundam met with the former ZAFT ship and the Excellence Flier.

In the bridge, Lacus held the notes that DaCosta had brought to her and Waltfeld earlier, keeping them close to her before she glanced at the Strike Freedom which was floating next to both the Excellence Flier and the flagship of the TSA and she smiled brightly at one of their saviors. Glad to have been able to give the man she fell in love with his new machine to replace the Freedom. Inside the Strike Freedom's cockpit, Kira smiled for a brief moment then turned his attention towards Earth as it's only a matter of time before he has to fight Shinn, the pilot who defeated him last time but in order to put an end to the war, he has no choice as the Strike Freedom then headed back to the Eternal accompanied by the Excellence… and all the allies they could muster.

 **oooooooooo**

The sliding doors opened silently, allowing Fiona, Lahge, Mitsuko and Lt. Saburouta to access the main bridge of the Nadesico B, where Captain Ruri Hoshino, already at her command seat, and her second-in-command Hari Makibi were already waiting for them. The red-haired pilot's first impression was that the new battleship was state-of-the-art, for having been built by the New Earth Federation: sleek, clean, with no components out of place, well-illuminated… although, it had to be said, somewhat unsettling in its apparent perfection. She wouldn't have been surprised if someone told her that the ship was completely controlled by an automated system…

But such consideration could be postponed for later. As the small party walked into the large room, the doors sliding closed behind them, Ruri and Hari stood up and climbed down from their seats to introduce themselves to the refugees… who, in turn, straightened themselves and saluted, which the silver-haired teenage girl quickly reciprocated.

"I ought to introduce myself once more. Major Ruri Hoshino, Captain of the high mobile battleship Nadesico B, of the New Earth Federation's Fourth Fleet." she said. "As for what concerns you… through quick research, I could ascertain that you are part of the Robotic Weapon Research branch of the same Armed Forces."

"That is correct, Captain Hoshino… although it was never our intention to join that branch of the army, we never had much of a choice in the matter, in order to continue our research" Mitsuko answered. "My name is Mitsuko Saiki. My duty is to supervise the Excellence Frames' mechanical problems and assembling."

"My name is Lahge Montoya." Lahge continued. "I've been charged with verifying the Excellence's actual potential in battle."

"As for me… I'm one of the Excellence pilots. Fiona Grayden. My brother and fellow Excellence pilot Raul is currently on Earth testing out his Excellence at Morgenroete." Fiona concluded, hoping her brother was doing well despite their time being apart. "Captain Hoshino, if I may ask a question… Don't you know if there are any more survivors?"

"Both the Nadesico B and the Ral Kairam have had the area scouted, yet no survivors have been located. Unless we count a New Earth Federation shuttle getting away from the fighting." Hari explained, after receiving a nod from Ruri. Fiona noticed that the black-haired boy seemed to be looking for the captain's approval… "We still managed to salvage a red frame… If I'm not mistaken, it's one of your machine's components, is it not?"

"Yeah… obviously the Striker Frame…" Mitsuko sighed dejectedly. So, all the other frames had been lost which included the ones for Raul's Excellence Frame. "Guess it's the only one that escaped destruction… and it won't do us much good in space…"

"Don't be so negative, Mitsuko… I'm sorry, but those can always be rebuilt, right?" Fiona tried to encourage her friend, although she noticed, much to her chagrin, that she probably wasn't doing much of a good job at that…

Luckily, Mitsuko seemed to at least appreciate her attempt to cheer her up, and managed a small smile. "Yeah, I know… we're still alive, and that's what really matters…"

"Very well then… allow me to introduce you to my crew." Ruri went on, now pointing at Hari with her eyes. "This is Lt. Hari Makibi, Vice-Captain of this ship."

"And as for me… I'm Vice-Commander Tarasugi Saburouta… but you already knew that much, I'd say!" the blonde former Jovian soldier boasted. "Anyway, if you're looking for an ace pilot, you found him!"

Once again, Hari was irritated by the taller man's haughty attitude, and shot him a glare. "Truth be told, you're just a Lieutenant…" he blurted out, earning himself a reaction that could best be described as fake cluelessness.

"So what? Is there a problem if I'm just a Lieutenant? You say that like it's a bad thing…" Saburouta answered.

Hari sighed in exasperation. Once again, he was starting it… and in front of their guests, no less! "No, I have nothing to say about your merits or your rank!" the young boy replied. "It's the attitude that's a problem!"

Ruri closed her eyes. "If his skills are good enough, then the personality is inconsequential." she said in an almost deadpan voice, putting an end to the argument. Hari gritted his teeth and turned his head elsewhere, murmuring that even the attitude should have counted for something… but in the end, he was the underling and the youngest member of the crew… all the decisions were the captain's to make.

"Captain Hoshino, if I may…" Mitsuko said, lightly raising her hand. Ruri looked at her and signaled her to speak, and the girl cleared her throat before asking her question. "So, what about us? What are we supposed to do now?"

Ruri seemed to hesitate for a second before answering. "At the moment, the Nadesico B is travelling to the colony of Amaterasu." she answered, looking at an orbital map visible on a screen a few metres above their heads. "As soon as we get these, you'll be handed over to agents of the New Earth Federation, who will later bring you back to Earth. However, before that happens, I have something to ask of you."

"Tell us, Captain Hoshino. How can we be of some use?" Fiona asked back, already imagining what the young silver-haired captain was trying to say.

"At the moment, the New Earth Federation is facing a lot of problems from various sides." Ruri explained, trying to resume the situation. "Terrorists attacking the colonies adhering to the Hisago Plan, and the attacks of the combined forces of the second Neo Zeon insurrections and ZAFT are just the latest in a long string of misfortunes. It is highly likely that the Nadesico B will be attacked during its journey or during its stay on the colony. Therefore, I wanted to ask you to lend us your machine's aid and fight for us, at least until we can hand you back to the competent authorities…"

Fiona narrowed her eyes and looked at her companions, already imagining that they wouldn't be too pleased with that. However, they were also aware that there wasn't much of a choice…. considering the situation, the most they could do was try to make themselves useful to their rescuers and fight on their behalf. At least, this way they could gather more data on the Excellence's combat abilities, which would earn it some brownie points with the New Federation agents…

"That's… not exactly how I imagined we could use the Excellence frames…" Lahge affirmed. "But right now, I guess it really can't be helped… alright, Fiona, that means we'll fight by these guys' side."

"I agree with that as well." Mitsuko put her two cents in. "Fiona, you feel free to take your own decision."

The red-headed female pilot smiled to herself and put her hands on her hips. "Alright then… guess there isn't much choice at the moment, huh?" she asked rhetorically. "Okay, Captain Hoshino, we're ready to fight on your behalf. We'll wash your hands and you wash ours, so to speak!"

Once again, Ruri's pale, delicate face barely changed expression. "We are thankful to you for that. We believe your support will be invaluable to complete our mission." she answered. "It is our hope that our task will proceed smoothly, in any event."

"Same goes for us." was Lahge's answer. "But, if I'm not too nosey about it, may I ask what's happening in the Amaterasu colonies? We've been enclosing ourselves in that research center for much of our lives and we're not… how to put it… not really up to date with the most recent happenings."

"I see." Ruri answered. "If that is the case, allow me to resume: recently some very serious incidents have happened in the colonies adhering to the Hisago Plan, a project whose aim is to create a new, faster and safer way for space travel through some breakthrough technologies…"

 **oooooooooo**

The Ral Kairam, after a brief encounter near the lunar base, had proceeded on its way, pushing its engines almost to their limits to catch up on their time schedule. It seemed quite clear that their mission was of the utmost importance, and therefore no more distractions were needed. At the moment, Amuro, Judau and Roux were on the command bridge nearby Captain Bright Noah, and were all keeping an eye on the instruments, as if expecting some anomaly at a moment's notice…

"The situation is still under control, Captain Noah." a member of the crew reported, still keeping his eyes on the navigation instruments, and turning an occasional glance to the commander and the three ace pilots. "As of now, no abnormal activity has been detected on Luna-5. The object is continuing its journey towards the point of stoppage limit at usual speed. Some Neo Zeon and ZAFT units have been reported in the vicinities, but they do not seem to be undertaking offensive or defensive actions as of now."

"This isn't going to last long, that much is clear." Bright affirmed thoughtfully. "This may pose a problem. The Mobile Suits we have at the moment fall short of the capabilities of the Neo Zeon/ZAFT alliance's mobile weapons, especially those used by their aces."

"Unfortunately, that much is true… given how the Freedom Gundam was destroyed at the hands of the Force Impulse Gundam, using one of the Sword Silhouette's "Excalibur" Anti-Ship Swords to boot…" Judau answered, anxiously looking at his girlfriend standing nearby. His black hair swayed slightly as he used a hand to comb back a bang falling on his green eyes. "The Double Zeta Gundam is no competition with the new Destiny Gundam and Legend Gundam, and I'm afraid the Gundam Mk- 3 will fare no better…"

Unfortunately, that was a given. Even Terminal's most advanced and powerful Gundams had their limits… and they were rapidly being left in the dust by ZAFT's powerful new Gundams, piloted by aces Shinn Asuka and Rey Za Burrel. "From what I heard, Anaheim is developing a new Gundam model, with an attack system similar to the DRAGOONs or Funnels… and Terminal had just completed a new pair of nuclear-powered Gundams…" Amuro said, trying to lighten the atmosphere at least a little. After all, since the war between the New Earth Federation and the Neo Zeon/ZAFT alliance had begun, the Federation had been in dire straits, and the fact that no faction on Earth had managed to come up with matching weapons meant that Earth itself was nearing disaster… especially considering what Neo Zeon's objective was!

"New Gundam models?" asked a curious Roux. If that was true, it would mean a bit of a break for Terminal, and a slightly higher chance of victory.

Amuro nodded. "Yes… from what I could gather, they're known as RX-93 Nu Gundam, ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam and ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice Gundam plus there are three additional Mobile Suits being developed, however that's about all I know for those three." the Newtype ace answered. "But while Kira already acquired his new machine onboard the Eternal, Athrun is still banged up onboard the Archangel which is back on Earth undergoing repairs and the testing on my machine is not yet completed, and I will be present myself for the final calibration of the Nu Gundam. Which means that, up until the Archangel, the Eternal and the Kusanagi join with us, we'll have to make do with what we have."

"I see… provided we do last long enough to meet with the three ships and see those new Gundams first-hand…" Roux whispered to herself, her lovely purple hair swaying gently on her face. Having heard how Athrun Zala and Meyrin Hawke were nearly killed in their attempt to escape from Gibraltar after being manipulated and betrayed by their home nation… and she prayed the two former crew members of the Minerva would be alright since Shinn was the one who destroyed the ZGMF-2000 GOUF Ignited they've stolen…

With a good hunch about what his girlfriend's thoughts might have been, Judau placed a hand on Roux's shoulder for support, which managed to at least assuage some of the former AEUG ace's concerns. "Don't worry, Roux… they'll be fine! I mean… Athrun survived blowing up the Aegis and the Justice respectively during the previous war against ZAFT. Hell, he also managed to survive nearly being burned to death during re-entry in a Blaze ZAKU Warrior and eventually having the Saviour Gundam scrapped beyond repair by the Freedom at Crete… so this shouldn't be anything too different!" Judau told her, knowing Athrun wasn't a former ZAFT ace for nothing especially as he has the care of his former girlfriend and current Chief Representative of the fallen kingdom of Orb.

Roux nodded and managed a small, gentle smile, grateful for the support. "I know… thanks, Judau, if hadn't been for you and the others… I don't know what I'd be doing right now!"

"Hehee… well that makes us even, I'd say… I wouldn't be here myself if I hadn't met them and you…" Judau answered, with a brief chuckle that managed to life everyone's spirits a little, even managing a smile out of the serious veterans, Amuro and Bright. And yet, Judau's voice had a melancholic edge to it… he was obviously remembering all the people who had died in past struggles, and whose sacrifice was threatened by the new war brewing.

"Captain Noah! Luna-5 has begun accelerating!" The voice of a pretty blue-haired teenage girl came from one of the consoles: she was quite pretty, with dark blue hair flowing down her, wearing a white long-sleeved blouse attached with a greenish-blue sailor-style collar and a pleated skirt. A red ribbon was tied in the front and laced through a loop attached to the blouse. She also wore white socks and brown penny loafers. She was Chidori Kaname, a high-school student that had joined Mithril after new student Sergeant Sousuke Sagara rescued her from a mercenary and his forces who had hijacked a plane in an attempt to hold everyone onboard hostage. Chidori's situation was quite complicated as well, in fact, considering she was a Whispered, which meant that several factions would be after the secrets hidden in her subconscious mind. Which resulted in her becoming a target and being brought to Mithril for her safety.

Another young girl, a few years younger than Chidori, was sitting close to the blue-haired Whispered: this one had bright red hair flowing behind her back, bright blue eyes, and a green and white uniform similar to the ones worn by Earth Union bridge personnel during the previous war – with white highlights on the shoulders and wrists. This one was Meyrin Hawke, the younger sister of ZAFT ace pilot Lunamaria Hawke, and another deserter from ZAFT like Athrun, who had defected at the same time as him, and just like him had almost gotten killed for her trouble. After that, she had decided to help her rescuers as much as she could, while at the same time try to talk to her older sister and convince her to defect from ZAFT as well.

"Alright, Ms. Kaname, excellent job" Bright said, turning to the young bridge bunny. "Ms. Hawke, an you tell us more about the enemy's position?"

"Mobile Suits assuming combat positions around Luna-5… I think they're preparing for defense." Meyrin answered, giving a quick look to her radar. "Confirmed! I can see that there are a pair of Nazca-class vessels guarding the asteroid's sides… and two other battleships, quite possibly the Mussaka and one unknown, are slowly approaching the site!"

"I see… they really don't want us to blast that rock apart before the stoppage limit…" Amuro murmured. "Alright, we'd probably be better off sending some Dummies to confound their radars, and move to flank them."

"We'll try to concentrate our forces on one side, and attack as soon as they're sufficiently distracted by the Dummies." Bright continued. "All pilots, prepare for launch. To all operators, keep monitoring Luna-5 and warn us of every variation in its movement. Helmsman, try to get some distance for now. We want to advance undetected as much as possible."

"Acknowledge!" everyone answered almost in unison, as Amuro, Judau and Roux rushed to the hangers, ready to climb onboard their Mobile Suits…

Another hard battle was afoot, with the Earth's fate hanging in the balance…

 **oooooooooo**

But while preparations for a terrible battle were being made on Terminal's side, and the tension was reaching critical levels… on the other side, onboard the ZAFT battleship named the Minerva, which was currently docked at ZAFT's Gibraltar base following the success of Operation Ragnarok, a peculiar debate was going on between two of the greatest minds behind the war.

Standing on the screen was a man about in his early thirties at the very most: tall, with a well-developed physique, wearing a red uniform with golden trimmings, knee-high black military boots, and some sort of chest armor with a golden eagle drawn on a black field, his blonde hair was orderly combed, enhancing his already impressive appearance, and his bright green eyes were almost shining with the force of his personality. His handsomeness was only slightly perturbed by a small scar between his eyes, on the bridge of his nose… and even that was somehow enhancing his charm and magnetism.

" _What I am trying to say,"_ he explained from within the bridge of his battleship. _"…is, our operations with Luna-5 are just the beginning of Neo Zeon's final project. The forced migration of the whole population of Earth in space, which will favor the awakening of the latent Newtype potential in all human beings. Luna-5, on its own, is insufficient to do so… but it's an important starting piece."_

The second man slowly nodded. "I see…" he said, in a soft voice oddly reminiscent of the first speaker. He looked like the smart, diplomatic kind of man as well, but his appearance was very, very different… he was elegantly dressed in white and light violet, the typical colors of a high-ranking ZAFT politician. More exactly, a member of ZAFT's Supreme Council… and his long, slightly curly black hair with blue highlights framed a pale face with serene, almost seraphic demeanor. However, a more attentive look would have shown that a sharp, ruthlessly brilliant mind was behind his affability… and that he was secretly enjoying the intellectual confrontation. "Therefore, Colonel Char Aznable, this is your personal conviction. The cause of the current problems is planet Earth herself. You maintain that human beings are still bound by her gravitational pull, and cannot take the necessary steps to reach their new evolutionary phase. To compound matters, the humans remaining on Earth are indifferent to the space colonies' problems, when not outright hostile like Blue Cosmos. They remain enclosed in their own little world, and act as if the Earth was their private property. Thus, you are trying to drive them away from Earth. Have I understood your theory correctly?"

" _For the most part, yes."_ the blonde man called Char Aznable answered – a man whose fame was always ahead of him wherever he went, for both good and ill. Depending on whom one was speaking to, Char Aznable (or Quattro Bajina, or Casval Zeon Daikum, whatever was the name he was going by at that moment) could be a freedom fighter, a traitor of his homeland, a misunderstood bringer of justice, a tragic hero or a bloodthirsty terrorist… but what everyone agreed on was that he was an extraordinary man, one who would not have been out of place next to figures like Napoleon or Alexander The Great… one of the rare people whose wills shape the destinies of entire nations and worlds!

" _Earth is, indeed, the mother of all living beings."_ Char continued, as he closed his eyes in deep thought before speaking again. _"However, her children are gradually shortening her life span. Those who live on that planet only think of themselves… and the era we live in has no need for people who can't look beyond their own petty ego. I'd say this, too, is in your accordance to your beliefs… Chairman Gilbert Durandal."_

"Yes, this is something on which we both agree on." Durandal answered. "Truth be told, I myself think that many people of our times are too selfish to make the right choices… however, not to criticize your viewpoint, but rather to add to it as much as I can, I'd surmise that Earth is only a problem up to a certain extent. The real problem of humanity is that, since the beginning of documented history… humans have always been blinded by their own ego, and by their lack of satisfaction in regard of their position and their abilities. To actually solve the problem of war… what would really be needed is that everyone could know himself as much as possible, as to be able to take the most advantageous decision for both himself and the community. This way, there would be no more dissatisfaction… and therefore, there would be no more reason to envy others, which is the root of all human greed… and eventually, of war itself. By knowing their own position in the scheme of society, men wouldn't try to change it, resulting in a peaceful society where well-being and satisfaction are maximized."

" _With all due respect, your speech is somewhat ambiguous."_ Char answered. _"However, as you might imagine, this brings up other issues. First and foremost, how is one supposed to know oneself so much? There are doubts in all of us. We don't have a complete knowledge of our own souls, and we often don't have a clear understanding of our own motivations. How would you propose to solve this dilemma?"_

"The answer, Colonel, resides in our own genetic heritage." Durandal answered with a somewhat melanchonic edge to his voice. In some ways, the Neo Zeon leader reminded him of a certain masked commander from the ZAFT military, one who had long since perished in the final battle of the previous war, and whose descent into madness Durandal had always seen as his greatest failure. "Our genes know all of us, even what we don't know ourselves. Imagine what the advantages might be if only we could all have access to such an invaluable source of information, and come to know all of our own secrets. That would be a very significant step in the realization of a better society."

Char seemed to give the matter some thought. _"Hmmm…. admittedly, that makes sense, Chairman Durandal. I'll have to reflect on your theory."_ he commented curtly. However, before anything else could be said, a mature female voice interrupted as it seemed the Mussaka picked up something on the sensors. _"Colonel, we have located suspicious heat sources approaching Luna-5, and we're almost 100% positive it is a Terminal fleet. We have already given orders to pilots Gyunei Guss and Shiho Hahnenfuss to stand ready. The Blaze ZAKU Warrior and Gyunei's Jagd Doga are already on the launch catapaults."_

" _I see. Excellent job, Nanai."_ the blonde colonel answered. _"Inform Commander Yzak Joule and pilot Dearka Elsman that their assistance is greatly appreciated, though knowing Commander Joule, he and his fellow ace would already be preparing to launch as backup. Also, have my Sazabi ready. I'll quite probably have to sortie myself. "_

" _Acknowledge. It will be done, Colonel."_ Captain Nanai Miguel answered, before Char politely excused himself from Durandal.

" _Chairman, my apologies. I cannot continue our conversation any longer."_ he said, which Durandal acknowledged with a slight nod.

"Understandable. Therefore… you will sortie yourself to end your dispute with pilot Amuro Ray, I'd guess…" ZAFT's chairman answered. "All I can say is, that I wish you the best of luck."

" _Much appreciated."_ Char answered. _"I trust Terminal's defeat and that of LOGOS will mark the fall of the two greatest obstacles to our alliance."_ Then, he bowed before cutting off communications in order to make his way to the hangers. Durandal, on the other hand, began walking from the Minerva's bridge, reflecting on what he had just discussed with Char… and on the similarities in their respective situations.

 _Amuro Ray… yet again, someone who could have lived without complication, had he accepted his role…_ he thought to himself. _Just like Kira Yamato… and the White Queen, Lacus Clyne. It really is unfortunate…_

 **oooooooooo**

Seen from the Nadesico B, outer space seemed even sadder and hollower than when Fiona looked at it from the research center's observation rooms… at least that was the place she could more easily call home, and even in its solitude, being there gave her some form of comfort. Now all because of that unknown entity showing up and taking control of their computer system, the research center was no more…

Fiona sighed, her back leaning on the cold steel wall as she wondered how she's going to explain this to Raul. Lahge and Mitsuko already had their share of problems; with Mitsuko feeling despondent for the loss of the Excellences' frames… they didn't need to get even more upset by hearing her own problems. They wouldn't have been able to help her, anyway, and the only result would have been to dampen their spirits even more… And yet, she just couldn't chase the thoughts that, as the colonies of Amaterasu came closer and closer, kept tormenting her and keeping her from relaxing.

 _So, this is how it all ended… a journey to the most faraway colonies to solve a mystery I never thought we would get involved in…_ she reflected, rubbing her forehead. _I wonder what Dad would think of all this… he was the one who started the research on Time Particles… the elementary particles that control the flow of time itself. Dad… your Time Shift Engines, the engine used by the Excellence, is powered by those particles, after all… but what was your aim when you created it? Is it possible that if my Excellence has it then Raul's might too?_

 _You wanted… to create a Time Machine?_

 **oooooooooo**

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 **The conflict escalates in the next chapter, where the battle between Terminal and the Neo Zeon/ZAFT alliance begins in earnest, and the Nadesico B finally reaches Amaterasu, to find some unwelcome surprises…**

 **And along with Meyrin, Kaname is onboard the Ral Kairam in this newest version of my saga! As with ZZ, I always liked Full Metal Panic! along with the Sosuke/Kaname pairing. Plus I'd like to give my thanks to EmperorDraco7 for helping me in making that series fit into the story! As for the Minerva and the two Nazca-class ships from the original version, I decided to have the Gondwana, the Voltaire and the Rousseau become involved for the upcoming battle with Terminal having Yzak, Dearka and Shiho to face off against along with Shinn, Rey and Lunamaria!**

 **See you next time!**


	5. Battle For Luna-5

**SUPER ROBOT** **WARS** **S** **REVAMPED**

 **Welcome back to my Super Robot Taisen story! I apologize for the delay in my update, but real life tends to get in the way and... well, you guys know the drill. I'm just glad that, in a few weeks' time, I'll get to work on this a little more than I do now! Anyway, I have to thank everyone who sent me a review... For now, I hope you enjoy this chapter... and the beginning of the battles! How will Raul, Fiona and their respective Excellences fare in these dire situations?**

 **Enjoy the new chapter!**

 **oooooooooo**

 **Chapter 5 - Battle for Luna-5**

"Hey, Fiona! Is anything the matter?"

Fiona was shaken out of her daydream by the voices of Lahge and Mitsuko, and quickly turned to see her best and only friends coming in from a sliding door at the opposite end of the corridor. With a sigh, the red-haired pilot straightened herself and dusted her uniform a little, trying to look nonchalant, or at least not quite as worried as she actually was.

"You've been quite silent since we came on board the Nadesico B..." Mitsuko told her. "Are you worried about what might happen to us or the Excellence now?"

"I was also thinking of what was going on in the Amaterasu colonies, but... yeah, you could say that." Fiona answered, knowing that her friends were far too good at seeing through her to believe a cover-up excuse. "I was wondering... what will be of our research now, after this incident with that guy. If it was an incident at all... the timing was just too perfect for it to be a coincidence."

"I see what you're getting at..." Lahge answered, absently scratching at his chin. "Indeed, it looks like that strange entity that disrupted our trial flight had planned it from the very beginning. Its objective, can it be Excellence, or the Time Shift Engine?"

"I think it can safely be assumed that, whoever this guy is, he's after the Time Shift Engine." Mitsuko answered curtly. "The Excellences, by themselves do not possess any particular technology that would make it worth the risk."

"I guess you're right, Mitsuko, and that's not even counting the Excellences' original objective... Our father researched the Time Particles... the particles that control the flow of time... and created an energy supply system just to use them as fuel for a single engine." Lahge commented, recalling his studies on the subject.

"A Time Machine, so to speak..." Fiona concluded, her previous hunch getting reinforced by the minute. "But at this point, the question is, what would that guy do with the means to travel back and forth in time... and what does he know of the Time Shift Engine's functioning? Getting an answer to such questions would be a step forward in solving this mystery..."

Lahge shrugged. "Well, look at it this way... maybe, when we reach Amaterasu, we'll be able to do a little research on the subject." he commented. "The Hisago Plan, the project they're currently working at, probably has something to do with Time Particles."

"About this Hisago Plan thing, can you tell me more about it?" Fiona asked curiously. "I understand that Captain Hoshino has talked to you about it, but I'm not sure whether I understood clearly... it's some sort of research on a new means of space transportation?"

"In a nutshell, yes." Mitsuko answered. "It's a research project for the usage of the Boson Jump... which is, the ability to instantaneously "jump" from one point in space to another, completely bypassing the flow of time. It's still considered a dangerous means of transportation, though... and the technology still hasn't been perfected. The Hisago Plan is intended to allow for better control of the Boson Jump."

"A number of space colonies, all fitted with Boson Jump technology, has been set up on a route from Earth to the Mars colonies, with the intention of later spanning through the whole Solar System." Lahge explained, to which Fiona nodded. Her friend, despite sometimes losing himself in technical terms, had a way of making things easier for her to understand...

"I see. So, in other words, they're setting up a number of "stations" all over the Solar System, and build a pathway that connects them like a line." the red-haired girl summed up. "So, this Boson Jump is pretty much a teleportation from one point to another in the Solar System, effectively reducing the time for travel to zero. Did I get it right?"

"Exactly... and the Amaterasu colonies near Mars are the starting point of the Hisago Plan." Mitsuko answered.

Fiona thought about it a little more. "But... there are problems if a human being executes a Boson Jump unprotected, aren't there?" she asked. "I mean, you did say that it could be dangerous..."

"Indeed it is... and in that regard, the Distortion Field is still the most reliable means of surviving a Boson Jump." another voice interjected. When Fiona and her friends looked, they discovered it to belong to Hari, the young, clumsy-looking vice-captain of the ship, apparently there to take a short break. "This ship, for example, is protected by a Distortion Field, so, in emergency cases, it can perform a Boson Jump without risk to the crew. However, Boson Jump attempts without proper protection have all ended in disaster."

"Oh, Vice-Captain Makibi! We weren't expecting you to be here..." Mitsuko greeted him, motioning him to join the conversation, which Hari graciously accepted. "Anyway... yes, I read it in an article once. There are very few people, though, who could Boson Jump without a Distortion Field and survive unscathed. A-Class Jumpers, if I recall correctly. Unfortunately, it seems that a lot of A-Class Jumpers have recently died in some accident or another..."

Hari's disposition, who had been until then relatively upbeat, took a bit of a plunge. "Well... yes, that much is true." he answered sadly. "However... please no such topic in front of Captain Hoshino. You see... she has been raised by a couple of former members of the old Nadesico crew, both of which were A-Class Jumpers who died in an accident one year ago."

"I heard about that as well…" Mitsuko continued. "Because of their abilities, A-Class Boson Jumpers are sought after by, let's say, less than reputable people. Somewhat like the Whispered I heard about, who are being hunted because of the mysterious knowledge that's hard-coded into their brains… in a way."

"Indeed…" Hari answered with a small nod. "Our allies at Mithril are dealing with the whole Whispered deal. Recently, a particularly important Whspered, one Chidori Kaname, has been discovered had to be taken to Mithril in order to protect her from harm. Her parents are understandably worried for their only daughters, one of which is at the Terminal assisting in any way she can… while Chidori is with Captain Noa as part of the Ral Kairam's bridge crew."

"Oh, I see. Sorry for bringing that up." Mitsuko apologized.

Hari waved his hand, as if to say it was no big deal. "Never mind, it doesn't matter." he answered. "Anyway, we should be arriving at Amaterasu Colony shortly. It seems that recently a strange machine has begun appearing around the Hisago Plan colonies, causing chaos and mayhem... an unidentified black robot, with Boson Jump abilities. We're still trying to figure out where it comes from, and as of now, the New Earth Federation and the Jupiter Empire are having a fall-out on the matter, each believing this outsider to be from the opposite side. Since the cease-fire between the two factions was only signed a few years ago, another war between Earth and Jupiter is something we definitely don't want at the moment."

"Understandable..." Lahge answered. "And yet, there is this black robot who could Boson Jump. This is getting pretty mysterious, I'll have to admit."

Fiona shrugged. "Let's cross our bridges when we come to them." was her comment. "For now, we don't even know whether this black robot will actually show up. Although admittedly, this is somewhat worrying... a robot who can Boson Jump at will is obviously a tough opponent for anyone, and I'm not sure if my Excellence could stand up to it."

"We trust in your experience as a pilot, Fiona." Mitsuko answered. "And it's not like you'll have to fight it on your own - Lt. Saburouta is an excellent pilot, and I'm sure he'll be glad to lend you a hand in an eventual battle."

"Yeah, I have no trouble believing that..." Fiona muttered sarcastically, as Hari wrinkled his nose and looked away. Fiona and her friend had been on that battleship for only a few hours, and it was already clear to them how the young vice-captain did not take kindly to the Jovian pilot's skirt-chasing ways...

The red-haired female pilot was about to speak up again, when a communication screen popped up out of thin air in front of all of them, startling her. Ruri's pale face and golden eyes were looking at them with her usual stoicism, never once letting them read what was behind such expression. If there were hints that she was somehow still grieving over the loss of her foster parents, she sure didn't show it.

On the other hand, Hari immediately snapped to attention, as if ashamed that the captain had seen him chatting with a group of civilians. "Ah, um... Captain Hoshino, I apologize!" he stammered. Fiona was no expert on the matter, but to her, it did look like Hari had a bit of a crush on Ruri... "I... er... I was just checking on our passengers and... well..."

"At ease, Hari." Ruri told him, without as much as raising her voice. "I have contacted you to inform you that our arrival at the Amaterasu colonies is scheduled in about one hour. Please, stand ready for any possible happenings. If there is a time where we might be attacked by the terrorists, that would be now… Whether they be Blue Cosmos or otherwise. We do not want to give them the slightest advantage, after what happened in the other colonies."

"Yes, Captain Hoshino!" Fiona answered with a crisp military salute. Ruri nodded in understanding before her communication screen switched off, and Hari let out a sigh of relief, before excusing himself.

"Well... looks like I might be needed on the main bridge!" he commented with a shy smile. "Still, it's been good talking to you all. I hope there will be no problems during our stay in Amaterasu, but if your intervention is needed... well... I wish you the best of luck!"

Fiona, Lahge and Mitsuko waved at him as he headed back to his place on the main bridge, briefly saluting to Chidori before sitting down. "Same to you, Hari! Good work!" Lahge concluded. A few moments later, Hari was out of earshot, and Fiona sighed as she stretched lazily.

"Weeeell, I guess we have to stand ready as well..." the red-haired girl noted. "Let's see what happens now, and let's hope we can put an end to this black robot mystery! I can't wait to get back to completing the Excellence project! In fact, I also can't wait to hear how the project is going on Raul's end!"

"That goes double for us, Fiona..." Mitsuko nodded, as the trio headed for the Nadesico B's hangar, getting mentally ready for whatever was in store for them.

Unfortunately, nothing at all could prepare them for what they were about to see...

 **oooooooooo**

Back on Earth, Chairman Durandal - along with a few other members of the PLANTs Supreme Council – had been waiting to congratulate Shinn Asuka, Rey Za Burrel and Lunamaria Hawke for their efforts in contributing to ZAFT and Neo Zeon's victory at Operation Ragnarok.

"For his distinguish service in the Battle of Heaven's Base, we award Shinn Asuka the Order of the Nebula" began one of the council members as he placed the familiar medal onto Shinn's red uniform while everyone present in the room clapped for him and both Rey and Luna were proud of Shinn for being able to effectively use the Destiny in battle despite having seemingly killed Athrun and Meyrin when they tried to escape from Gibraltar prior to the operation.

Shinn silently gazed at the uniform for a few seconds and saluted to the man who awarded it to him showing his gratitude. "Congratulations… That's the second one for you. Outstanding!" the man continued, the first one he received was for successfully destroying the stolen X10A Freedom in battle during Operation Angel Down… Something that Athrun before defecting from ZAFT did not approve on at all as the Archangel seemingly perished at the hands of the Minerva when the events of that battle occurred though he suspected that the Freedom's pilot and the Archangel somehow managed to survive as even when he had his death match against his best friend at the Marshall Islands during the first war following the death of GAT-X207 Blitz pilot Nicol Amalfi at the hands of the GAT-X105+AQM/E-X02 Sword Strike just to save the GAT-X303 Aegis, Kira somehow managed to survive and return to Earth from the PLANTs, in the Freedom no less, to save the Archangel when Operation Spitbreak took place then.

"Thank you, sir" said Shinn, shaking the older man's hand as another way to show his thanks for the Order of the Nebula that was recently awarded to him.

Durandal smiled at this moment and brought out two small boxes that he would like to present, one of them being for Shinn because of his efforts in the war up until this point. "And in addition…" he spoke, wanting to be certain that the Destiny's pilot was going to like this gift that he had, also knowing who he will give the remaining box to. "These are for Rey Za Burrel and Shinn Asuka."

"Mr. Chairman…" Shinn was at a loss of words as he and Rey recognized the badge as one that Talia was currently wearing on her uniform and the same one that Athrun and Commander Heine Westenfluss wore themselves prior to the former's defection before the Battle of Heaven's Base. It was a badge resembling a white wing emerging from a golden elliptical orb, worn only by members of the Fast Acting Integrate Tactical Headquarters, an elite Special Forces unit of ZAFT personnel that have remarkable war records and certain character traits. They are appointed by the PLANT Supreme Council or the Supreme Chairman himself, only to whom they are answerable to. Not only this but FAITH members operate outside the regular command structure of ZAFT and are allowed to plan operations and give orders on the battlefield as they see fit.

"Is there a problem?"

Shaking his head, Shinn knew that it wasn't a problem but he wanted to say something to Durandal beforehand concerning becoming part of FAITH. "N-No… No sir, no problem at all… it's just…" he wanted to find the right words at this moment, turning his attention towards his friend Rey who was better at explaining things than he was but the pilot of the Legend simply smiled at him.

"These are merely an acknowledgment of how much we rely on your strength. They're a vote of confidence" explained Durandal, reassuring Shinn that he is more than deserving of being part of FAITH alongside Rey and more so as the two have gotten ZAFT this far in bringing the war against the Earth Alliance to a swift end as they can only achieve true peace by eliminating the remaining members of LOGOS which includes Blue Cosmos leader Lord Djbril. "My hope is that the two of you will wear them with pride, that you will continue to use your strength and that you will not betray my faith."

Shinn silently glanced at the Order of the Nebula for nearly half a minute or so then after some reflecting, he turned his attention back towards Durandal with a confident expression on his face as he will not let the Chairman down especially as a brief memory of Athrun flashed before his very eyes, they once trusted the blue-haired pilot and they turned against ZAFT for the second time, only he brought Meyrin with him. "I'm on it sir" said Rey, accepting the kind gesture without any hesitation due to his loyalty to ZAFT and to the Chairman. "I will do my best."

"Me too!" Shinn spoke his choice without thinking, then realized the slight mistake that he made in doing so and felt somewhat embarrassed yet again. "I mean… I'll give my best sir!"

With that said, everyone clapped again this time for Shinn and Rey as they accepted their respective FAITH badges from Durandal, determined more than ever to aid ZAFT in bringing a swift end to the war once and for all.

Sometime after the award ceremony came to an end, Rey, Shinn and Luna departed from the room with permission from Talia to return to their quarters though she had something she wanted to say to the raven-haired male teen concerning his promotion to the ranks of FAITH. "Congratulations Shinn" she said, proud of seeing him and Rey now donning their respective FAITH badges on their uniforms and Shinn appreciated the gesture.

"Thank you very much, ma'am" responded Shinn, saluting to Talia before he and his friends exited the room with Luna in awe that her boyfriend now had two Orders of the Nebula and is now part of the FAITH organization with Durandal having another smile on his face as he felt that Shinn and Rey will be a great aid to his cause for peace.

"It worries me that you're giving me the silent treatment… Talia…"

"I have to go as well" commented the Minerva's captain before taking her own leave back to her own room but once she did so, he figured that he should at least follow her in order to learn why she's still upset with him for so long despite his status of being Chairman of the PLANTs.

"I was sure you would have something to say about my decision to make Shinn and Rey new members of FAITH" he began, hoping she would be more open towards the decision he has made despite them having recently gotten their new machines even though the Legend was originally intended to be given to Athrun and the Impulse was gonna be given to Rey… yet that would have left Luna without a mobile suit because her ZGMF-1000/A1 Gunner ZAKU Warrior was trashed in the Battle of Crete alongside Rey's ZGMF-1001/M Blaze ZAKU Phantom and the ZGMF-X23S Saviour though Shinn was able to destroy not only the stolen ZGMF-X31S Abyss despite losing the Blast Silhouette fighting it but also the Orb Union's mobile carrier the Takemikazuchi as well.

Giving a darkened glare at Durandal, Talia decided to speak to him despite her telling the Chairman that she was heading back to the ship. "Well it's too late for that now" she said, feeling that it had been too soon for Shinn and Rey to be appointed as FAITH members ever since the Battle of Heaven's Base and Operation Angel Down. "There are several things I want to say but this is no time for careless words so I'll keep quiet."

Durandal couldn't blame her, after all they did have a history together prior to her becoming the Minerva's assigned Captain and that she already had a husband and a son to boot since them while part of him knew better than to press on concerning the matter from then. "If you won't listen to me then please, just leave me alone…" she continued, wanting nothing more to say to Durandal.

Durandal on the other hand, simply have a small sigh as this was getting them nowhere. "I'm not listening to you? Come on…" he asked, wanting to better clarify better with the fact that he doesn't understand on what Talia meant by those words as Rey, Shinn and Luna saw the two with the blonde-haired FAITH member silently gesturing for them to accompany him out so they are not intruding.

"That whole affair with Athrun Zala and Meyrin Hawke… I'm still not satisfied with what happened."

"I understand how feel but…" he began, however before the conversation could continue on between them, a ZAFT Captain appeared before them as he had urgent news to inform Durandal concerning the status on their search for Dibril and any LOGOS members that were not captured or killed in the chaos taking place on Earth.

"Mr. Chairman!" he spoke with a small salute, despite Durandal's displeasure on being interrupted but he needed to become aware of it as soon as possible while Rey, Shinn and Luna were coming downstairs… Stopping in their tracks the moment he revealed the news to the Chairman. "We know where Lord Djibril is, sir! We've received intelligence from Carpentaria!"

"From Carpentaria?" wondered Durandal, then again it was also an important base in ZAFT much like Gibraltar so it couldn't hurt to find out what exactly the man was talking about since it will end the war faster when they determine Djbril's current location. "Well… Where is Djibril?"

The man pulled out his documents and one contained a photograph of Lord Djibril with Yuna Roma Seiran and Unato Ema Seiran was revealed to Durandal and Talia as it confirmed where one of the remaining members of LOGOS was currently hiding at. "Orb, sir..." he spoke, much to the shock of Shinn and Lunamaria with Rey silently scowling at the turn of events.

 **oooooooooo**

"Attention, all pilots! Luna-5 has accelerated. It's heading for the stoppage limit point at increasing speed!" Chidori called from her position on the Ral Kairam's bridge, startling Captain Bright Noa and the other operators a little. Bright grit his teeth... he had hoped to remain undetected at least for a little more time, but it seemed that, at this point, it was no longer feasible. There wasn't much to do about it, though... anyway, they had still managed to distract the Neo-Zeon / ZAFT forces with their decoys, and now they had a chance to flank them while they were still getting organized. With a quick enough offensive, hopefully they would have been able to reach Luna-5 and blast it before it got too far...

"Alright, then... attention, all pilots!" Bright called to Amuro, Judau and Roux, as the radar signaled a group of Neo-Zeon and ZAFT Mobile Suit approaching with unsettling speed... "We have been located by the enemy. I repeat, we have been located. Enemy units approaching, Luna-5 has begun its descent at an accelerated pace. Get ready to launch... and try to reach Luna-5 at all costs! We can't let that asteroid enter the atmosphere!"

In the hangars, Amuro and his friends were already geared up and sitting in their respective Mobile Suits' cockpit... and Bright's alarmed message had the effect of riling them up for the incoming danger! "Roger, Captain Bright! We're ready to launch anytime!" Amuro exclaimed, slightly increasing his grip on his cloche. The Newtype ace had been having a strange, yet familiar, feeling for a few minutes now... and he was sure that Char was around there, only waiting for Amuro to come out in order to settle their grudge once and for all. With a determined scowl, Amuro raised his head. "Amuro Ray, Re-GZ launching!"

"Judau Ashta, Double Zeta Gundam... launching!" Judau exclaimed. The young ace was sure he would be facing the ZAFT elites in combat... Fortunately there was no sign of the Minerva anywhere which mean he won't have to worry about the Destiny and Legend Gundams, opponents which would have been more than a match for the ZZ! And yet, he knew he couldn't fear nor hesitate... he had to zip past them and get to Luna-5 to disable it before it got to the stoppage limit point.

"Roux Louka, Gundam Mk-3! Launching!" The last one to take off was Roux, emotionally invested in the battle as well.

The plane-like fighter took off and exited the Ral Kairam's hangars in a flash, immediately followed by the ZZ Gundam and the Gundam Mk-3... and a group of GM-3s, Jegan, Murasame and other mass-produced Mobile Suits, all making a beeline for the Mobile Suit formation in front of them. By simply looking at his radars, Judau immediately recognized a group of bulky Geara Doga, a Neo-Zeon heavy Mobile Suit type that formed the backbone of their fleet... and a group of green Mobile suits with a mono-eye and a battle axe which looked uncannily similar to the Zaku-2s Fiona had used as dummies for the Excellence's test flight. Unfortunately, these weren't like those outdated Zakus... these were ZAFT's ZAKU Warriors, a far more advanced, and far more deadly, type of suit! And mixed among them, there were some GOUF Ignited that could prove even more dangerous...

On the other hand, the allied Neo-Zeon / ZAFT fleet was not facing them - the dummies had distracted them at least slightly, and the opposing fleet had therefore shown their side to the enemy. Now was the time for Terminal to strike!

Amuro's Re-GZ was the first to attack, shooting a barrage of missiles from its "wings" and hitting a couple of Geara Doga dead center! In a flash, the nearest Neo-Zeon and ZAFT Mobile Suits turned to face the attack and unleashed a volley of laser beams and bullets against the Terminal forces, who responded in kind. Several Mobile Suit were hit and destroyed on both sides of the battle, filling the space around Luna-5 with explosions as more units were being fielded from the Nazca-class battleships flanking the asteroid.

Judau's ZZ Gundam, on the other hand, was beginning to dash through the enemy squadrons, using its huge beam saber to take down as many opponent as possible while trying to keep an eye out for additional enemies. The heavily-armored Geara Doga were no match for the Beam Coat equipped Mobile Suit, and were disabled in short order, their pilots ejecting a few moments later. The ZAKU Warrior units put up a little more of a fight, but in the end, they were still unable to slow down the ZZ for long.

Roux's Gundam Mk-3 was not too far behind, stopping any straggles from attacking the Terminal troops and firing crimson red beams from its rifle. Thanks to those three powerful units, the forces of Terminal were already making their way towards the asteroid and its accompanying ships... but just then, a new wave of enemy Mobile Suits emerged from behind Luna-5 and started firing, taking out a sizeable number of GM-3s, Jegans and Murasames.

"Warning! New enemy units coming at us!" Amuro exclaimed, looking at his radar. "I can make out a Blaze ZAKU Warrior and a customized Yakt Doga among them... we're in for a dangerous fight this time!"

"A Blaze ZAKU Warrior... Great!" Roux murmured to herself as she took out a GOUF Ignited. A Mobile Suit, which was among the same ones that attacked the Eternal not too long ago, was approaching him at high speed, the Gundam Mk-3 prepared itself for the opponent that it was going to be dealing with...

In the cockpit of the Blaze ZAKU Warrior, one of the most powerful units the Neo-Zeon / ZAFT alliance could count on, redcoat pilot Shiho Hahnenfuss, a lovely young woman with long, flowing dark brown hair tied in a ponytail on her back, set her jaw for the duty she was about to carry out. The Mobile Suit approaching her was obviously once with the AEUG... and facing this kind of opponent in battle was never easy for her. Nevertheless, she had her orders from her commander and she had to follow them... As much as she had no ill-will towards her opponent, it had to be taken out, regardless of what she thought on the subject. Shiho grabbed the beam tomahawk from her Mobile Suit's Shield, and stood ready to face Gundam.

The Gundam stood ready, holding its beam saber in its right hand... and soon enough, the two began clashing their weapons in a frantic battle!

"I don't have time to deal with you right now!" Roux called out to the ZAFT ace pilot. "Please, stand back! We have to reach that asteroid before it falls on Earth! Otherwise, I have no choice but to take you down!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that!" Shiho shouted back, as her ZAKU Warrior's beam tomahawk blocked the Gundam Mk-3's beam saber. "While I don't have a grudge against you, I have my orders to follow! A pity, if Athrun was alive then Yzak and Dearka would want answers as to why he betrayed us again and took one of the crew members of the Minerva with him."

"I think you already know the answer!" Roux fired back, forcing the Blaze ZAKU Warrior back a little before the clash resumed. "Are you really okay with what ZAFT and Neo-Zeon are doing? They're planning to force Earth into nuclear winter and all Earthlings into living in space... if they're allowed to continue, many lives will be lost!"

"The Chairman won't allow that to happen!" Shiho answered. With a skilled dodge, she managed to break the blade-lock between her Blaze ZAKU Warrior and Roux's Gundam, and while the latter was left stumbling for an instant, she put the beam tomahawk away and revealed one of the grenades from. "ZAFT isn't like that... not anymore! We just want to end this war as fast as possible... and we don't agree with Neo-Zeon's methods! Not to mention we are also trying to eliminate LOGOS!"

"But still, you must know that even ZAFT isn't doing the right thing..." Roux affirmed, blocking a slash with her beam saber. She quickly pushed Shiho away and retaliated with a volley from the Gundam Mk-3's CIWS, which shot down the "Firebee" Guided Missiles fired from the Blaze Wizard Pack that the ZAKU Warrior had, but still managed to keep it on the defensive as Roux went on with her speech. "From what I heard, forcing everyone to conform to their genetic heritage... stopping everyone from making their own choices... it is truly right to create a world where no one can choose their own future?"

Shiho swallowed something bitter. In fact, she couldn't say that she really agreed with the Destiny Plan's rationale... "You... you may be right, but still... I am a ZAFT soldier, and I can't just ignore my duty!" she answered as she moved back up close...

On the other hand, Amuro was being attacked by the other enemy ace... 15-year-old Artificial Newtype Gyunei Guss, piloting a sleek dark green Yakt Doga, a Newtype-exclusive Mobile Suit with golden shoulder pads, golden highlights on its calves, and a similarly-colored face mask shaped like a beak, was rapidly approaching, releasing a volley of funnels from his Mobile Suit's shoulders. Amuro instantly recognized the Funnels, an extremely dangerous weapon capable of attacks from all ranges and directions... and quickly moved to avoid the piercing beams of light!

"Go, Funnels!" Gyunei exclaimed. "Take that fighter down!"

Unfortunately for him, he was not facing an easy mark. As the remote-controlled weapon floated away from his Yakt Doga and began firing away at Amuro's Re-GZ, the Newtype ace executed a spectacular dodging maneuver and foiled all of his attack... then, as Gyunei's Mobile Suit grabbed its assault rifle, Amuro quickly drove towards his opponent and released another volley of missiles. Gyunei retaliated by shooting all of them down with his assault rifle, but that distraction gave Amuro just the time he needed to take aim with the Re-GZ's mega beam cannon... and shoot a large energy beam for the fighter's nuzzle! Gyunei swore between clenched teeth and raised his Yakt Doga's shield just in time to avoid taking the brunt of the attack. Still, his Mobile Suit had been damaged... and, in an attempt to even the playing field, the young boy retreated towards the support ships, which supported him from a distance by firing a salvo from their secondary cannons.

Amuro nimbly dodged the cover fire, but was forced to hold back by the Yakt Doga's still-active funnels. "Who IS that pilot, anyway?" he mentally asked himself. "I did not sense evil from him... just hostility... deep hostility..."

Judau's ZZ Gundam, on the other hand, was still proceeding towards Luna-5 to sunder it before it could reach a point where no intervention would have done any good. And yet, the young ace pilot was deeply suspicious. The battle had been too easy for him, up until then. It was almost as if Char and Durandal were trying to lull them into a false sense of security just to strike back at them with maximum force when they were at their most vulnerable. Not to mention, the Sazabi (Char's personal red Mobile Suit) had not taken to the battlefield yet...

Judau reminded himself to take extra care, as he approached the Nazca-class battleships protecting Luna-5...

 **oooooooooo**

While the battle in the proximities of Luna-5 was raging... the crew of the Nadesico B, after finally landing at Amaterasu, had received a somewhat lukewarm welcome from the colony's personnel, who had been efficient but cold to the point of rudeness as Ruri, Hari, Saburouta, Chidori and Fiona's group were being escorted to the commanding officer's presence. Much like Fiona feared, Commodore Azuma was exactly how she and her friends had taken the habit of imagining most New Federation officers to be... smug, aggressive, self-assured and downright spiteful in his harsh treating of them. His second-in-command, a gentlemanly-looking man in his early thirties named Yoshio Yamasaki, had fortunately been a lot more courteous, although he was still trying to keep a certain distance from the Nadesico B's crew.

"And just who do you think you are, barging in our colony and demanding to put your nose where it doesn't belong?" shouted the enraged Commodore, pointing his finger in a rude and accusing manner towards Ruri, who did not seem perturbed in the least by the volley of insults. Azuma was a rather small, repulsive-looking man with a balding head and long black mustache, along with overlarge, beady eyes which almost seemed to pop out of their sockets whenever the Commodore was enraged... which, by the look of things, was almost all the time. He was wearing the typical New Federation uniform, with a red-and-blue color scheme and a white collar, but the pomposity of his dress only managed to make his temper tantrum look that much more childish. "This colony is the mainstay of the Hisago Plan, and the first stepping stone towards the creation of new, groundbreaking means of transport! Every second of our time you waste, is a delay in its completion! Do you have a warranty of inspection from the government? And who are these... these... outsiders, by the way?"

Azuma had pointed his finger to Fiona, Lahge and Mitsuko, who had simply stood up in response and identified themselves. "We are... refugees from the Montoya lunar laboratories. We have been taken aboard the Nadesico B after sending a distress call. An accident, on which we are still investigating, caused our laboratories to be destroyed, and we had no other choice but to ask for the Nadesico B's help." Lahge answered. "For now, we are lending our abilities to the Nadesico B's crew to aid them in their mission... until the time comes for us to be handed over to Neo Federation officers."

"By the way, I am Fiona Grayden, test pilot for the Excellence…. Actually one of them, my brother Raul Grayden is test piloting the only other one ever made" Fiona introduced herself, with a somewhat half-hearted military salute. "And... my friends here are my scientific advisor Lahge Montoya and my mechanic and engineer Mitsuko Seiki."

Azuma glared at them hatefully, but there was not much he could do about them being onboard the Nadesico B, if what Lahge and Fiona were saying was true...

"In any event, we have been sent here by the New Federation government to investigate the recent happenings." Ruri began to explain, once again undaunted by Commodore Azuma's rude behavior. "A large concentration of Bosom Particles has been detected in the proximities of all recent incidents, most especially during the most recent one at the Shirahime colony. Under such circumstances, it is within the funding government's rights to ascertain whether or not correcting measures must be taken. Especially once we consider that issues in one of the Bosom Jump ports may have serious repercussions on the other Hisago Plan colonies and endanger human lives."

"Sheesh, we sound like fire inspectors or something..." Saburouta joked, earning himself a sideways glance for Hari.

Azuma stood upright, banging his fist on his desk. "Rubbish! There are no problems with the Hisago Plan!" he shouted. He would probably have gone on another rant, had his second-in-command not used that moment to speak up.

"Now, now, Commodore Azuma," Yamasaki said politely. Fiona looked at him more carefully: he was a young man, not much older than thirty, and was dressed elegantly, with a dark gray business suit and polished black shoes, a red necktie, and a pure white shirt visible underneath his coat. "Let's not make things more difficult than they should be. After all, as New Earth Federation members, our duty is to protect the peace throughout the solar system, is it not? Captain Hoshino is just making sure she can do her part in this, although I am intrigued to see Mr. Chidori is present given his daughter's status as part of Mithril. Therefore, I think we should give her a chance to see for herself whether there really are no problems with our colony. Don't you agree?"

As Azuma returned a death glare to Yamasaki, Chidori, Ruri and Fiona looked sideways, eyeing suspiciously a strange poster on the room's wall... a poster talking about the Hisago Plan, and filled with cutesy, cartoonish graphics...

 **oooooooooo**

"Hello, everyone! Welcome to the Hisago Plan Guided Tour!" chirped a strange Pac-Man-like mascot as it floated in front of the children gathered in front of a passenger gate.

"HELLO, HISAGON!" all the children answered cheerily. Among the crowd of children, Fiona sighed miserably, while Ruri kept her usual neutral face and Chidori gave a stern expression on his own face. The higher-ups of Amaterasu really didn't like the Nadesico B poking their nose into their business... and had resorted to dumping the young pilot and the even younger captain with a bunch of schoolchildren taking a guided tour of the colony!

"Really... what else could go wrong now?" Fiona asked herself melodramatically, an anime sweat drop descending down the side of her head. Completely ignoring her complaints, the floating mascot, named Hisagon, pointed to a colorful gate in front of the children, and the double doors separating them from the planned trip opened with a hiss. Another mascot, this time a young girl with pink hair wearing a matching bodysuit, came walking out of the corridor, with a demeanor that Fiona found to be a little too cheery for her liking.

"Welcome, children... welcome to the research center for the future of space transportation!" the pink-haired girl exclaimed. "I and Hisagon will be your guides, and we'll take a pair of special guests along with us. Children, please welcome Captain Ruri Hoshino of the Nadesico B, and pilot Fiona Grayden, our honored guest!"

Barely changing her expression, Ruri did a victory sign with her fingers and looked down at the children. "Hello, everyone." she greeted, seemingly not offended in the least by the joke she and Fiona were being the butt of. The children responded in kind, with a chorus of high-pitched, enthusiastic voices... and Fiona tried to put on a smiling face and flipped a thumbs-up sign to the youngsters.

"Man... Commodore Azuma is probably laughing his ass off at us now..." the red-haired female pilot thought to herself.

"Well… let's just put up with this for now, alright?" Chidori answered sheepishly, trying to hide her embarrassment at being assigned on a children's tour…

 **oooooooooo**

"I'm not sure if this is alright..." Hari murmured to himself, standing beside his seat on the Nadesico B's main bridge. Saburouta, Lahge and Mitsuko were hanging nearby, seemingly waiting for Ruri and Fiona's joke of a guided tour to end... and none of them seemed really enthusiastic about what Commodore Azuma and Yamasaki had in store for the Nadesico B's captain and the young test pilot. "I don't think this is fair to the Captain, Mr. Chidori and Miss Fiona..."

"Yeah, guess I'm not too cool with it myself... but really, what can we do about it?" Saburouta asked rhetorically, his hands crossed behind his head. "Although, if you want my opinion, there's something fishy about this."

Lahge pushed his glasses back on the bridge of his nose. "I'd have to agree. It's almost as if that Commodore and his right-hand-man wanted to hide something from us... And yet, I don't see what the New Earth Federation might be interested in keeping secret..."

"You know how these New Federation bigwigs are..." Mitsuko sighed, scratching at the main bridge's polished floor with her booted foot, and sparing a cursory glance at the bridge bunnies. "Good luck getting a reasonable explanation for their actions out of them... at best, you'll get accused of being a terrorist or a spy. Heh, let's just take advantage of the fact that they're pretty much ignoring us..."

"Tell you what, miss, that's actually a pretty good idea." Saburouta answered. "If we search around a little in their databases, I'm sure we can find what they want to keep hidden from us... Hey, Hari, what do you say about it?" The blonde Jovian pilot raised his head and looked somewhat maliciously at the young vice-captain, who immediately got the picture and raised his eyebrows in disbelief!

"What? Hey, Lt. Saburouta, hold on a second... you can't be suggesting THAT!" a flustered Hari yelled back. "Hacking into military records and classified information is a serious crime... and you know it!"

Saburouta laughed jovially. "Hehehee... come now, we're not doing anything bad now, are we? Think of it as a way to make ourselves useful to Captain Hoshino! I guess even our guests here agree with me that it could make light on quite a few mysteries, don't you?"

Lahge smirked slightly in anticipation. It was no secret how the young engineer had no love for the New Earth Federation, and a chance to throw some mud in their plans and get away with it was all too intriguing to him. "I guess so... We just have to be careful not to get caught by a firewall... and in that regard, I'm sure me and Hari can do that no problem!"

Saburouta winked. "Alright, pal! Now you're speaking my language! So, what are we waiting for? Let's get to work!"

Hari winced, finding himself in the minority. He had a feeling that, whatever happened, it would not have been pretty...

 **oooooooooo**

The battle for Luna-5 had been raging for quite some time now... and in the cockpit of the GOUF Ignited, one painted white in color, a young commander with white-azure hair and a very confident demeanor, wearing a custom pilot suit with a white helmet, was feeling his patience wear thin. The Chairman and Colonel Char Aznable had asked him and his team to stand ready, in case Terminal's offensive had to come too close to the asteroid for comfort... but, for what concerned ace pilot and commander Yzak Joule, he'd much rather not be out there, fighting against the Chairman's "enemies"...

With an angry sigh, Yzak gripped his cloche and nervously moved his fingers along it, being distracted by his reverie only when a comm window opened on the screen above his head. A dark-skinned blonde-haired male his age, donning the standard green ZAFT pilot suit was looking at him with concern. "Yzak... Yzak, do you hear me? Dearka here... we have to get ready for launching, Colonel Char Aznable has requested that we send backup to our troops out there! The Terminal forces are approaching Luna-5, and it seems we have to halt them now!"

"I know that, Dearka!" Yzak answered, quickly composing himself in front of his comrade and best friend. "Sorry, Dearka, I'm just... having a lot on my mind right now! Aside from Terminal approaching our position, can you believe that bastard had the nerve to turn against our homeland again?" Yzak Joule, former member of the famed Le Creuset Team during the previous war and now a commander of the elite Joule Team, had never been known to have a firm grip on his temper, and even now, his anger towards his former friend as well as the fact the Chairman requested them to confront the ones who were trying to stop their operations dripped all too clearly from his voice...

Dearka Elsman, the other main ZAFT ace formerly of the Le Creuset Team, pilot of a black Blaze ZAKU Phantom and one of the few people Yzak actually trusted despite the former Buster Gundam pilot's defection in the previous war, was about to answer, before another comm window opened beside his, showing the Neo-Zeon leader already in his piloting suit and at the helm of his personal Mobile Suit, the Sazabi. "Some of the Terminal forces have managed to push through the first line of our defenses and are trying to reach Luna-5 to sunder it with breakers. It falls to us now to stop them. We're taking off now, so follow my lead!" the blond Colonel ordered.

Yzak received the orders with a somewhat disgusted expression. While he had his suspicions towards Durandal and the fact there might to whatever he was planning aside from wanting to wipe out LOGOs, the same distrust was applied to his ally, whom Yzak regarded as double-dealing and too secretive for his own good. Still, Char was both his and Dearka's ally, and the Chairman certainly knew what he was doing, so there was not much Yzak could do about it other than comply with orders. The same with Dearka, it didn't help the colonel in some ways reminded them of their late former commander Rau Le Creuset from the last war against the Earth Alliance.

"Alright, Colonel. We're ready to sortie." the blond ZAFT ace turned greencoat answered, neither he nor his Commander were fond of their ally but they needed to keep him from getting the wrong idea for the time being. "Yzak, hopefully you'll handle one of the enemy Gundams. I'll go support Shiho and the ZAKU Warrior against the other. Keep a cool head, and do your best. Remember Chairman Durandal apparently wants results."

Yzak grit his teeth, the prospect of once again facing the Archangel in combat making his blood boil. Even though he and Dearka once considered the "Legged Ship" an enemy vessel back in the previous conflict between the Earth Alliance and the Colonies.

"I... I swear if Athrun's still alive, I will beat him so bad he's going to wish he was dead!" Yzak snarled, sounding downright animalistic with suppressed rage with the mixed feelings over the events that transpired leading up to this battle. "For now, that will have to wait! Dearka! Please, get that enemy Mobile Suit for me!"

"Do not worry about this, Yzak." Dearka answered, like his comrade and best friend, he was hoping they won't have to battle against the Archangel especially if his ex-girlfriend Mir was onboard that ship again. "I may have been demoted to green-coat but I'm still as skilled as I was as a redcoat though sometimes I miss my old machine the Buster and I'm sure you feel the same about the Duel."

Char slightly raised his eyes to look at his consoles, and gave the younger pilots confirmation to launch. "Alright, now the Terminal forces have come within range! Nanai, launch all backup units! Char Aznable, Sazabi, launching as well!"

"Dearka Elsman, Blaze ZAKU Phantom, I'm going out!" Dearka confirmed.

Yzak nodded, and his expression slowly darkened since he, Dearka and Shiho still had some suspicions towards Durandal and Aznable. "Yzak Joule, GOUF Ignited... launching!"

The Voltaire's catapult activated, the sudden acceleration forcing all the pilots on their respective seats... before they were all launched into battle!

 **oooooooooo**

"Attention to all pilots!" Captain Bright Noa's voice exclaimed over the communication channels. "New Mobile Suits have been launched from one of the Nazca-classes, and are now heading towards our lines at high speed. Sazabi, a white GOUF Ignited and a black Blaze ZAKU Phantom confirmed among enemy reinforcements. Engage them with extreme caution!"

Judua, the pilot closest to Luna-5, was forced to suddenly halt his progress and retreat slightly, looking to his ZZ Gundam's left while dodging a shower of beams from the ZAFT and Neo-Zeon units in front of him. In the nick of time, his radars managed to intercept the white GOUF Ignited, headed towards him... and only his reflexes allowed him to raise his guard in time to avoid a nasty slash from his opponent's "Tempest" beam sword! In his fury, however, Yzak just kept up the pressure, forcing Judau's Gundam away from Luna-5!

"No... I'm getting too far from Luna-5..." Judau murmured to himself, too busy trying to fend his opponent off to do anything else...

"Not bad, but not good enough!" yelled Yzak, while he wasn't a Gundam pilot anymore; he was proving that he was still an ace regardless of what Mobile Suit he was using. "You better not take me lightly just because I'm in a grunt machine!"

The Gundam Mk-3, on the other hand, was getting the upper hand on Shiho's Blaze ZAKU Warrior, forcing the mass-produced MS against a floating piece of debris, and sending a jolt of pain though the brown-haired girl's back as her Mobile Suit violently slammed against the rocky surface. Roux was about to interrupt the battle there, in order to go after Luna-5 and possibly help Judau out in his battle... but she was denied the chance when a beam rifle shot came here way, causing her to mentally curse! As Roux turned in the direction of the beam, she was greeted with the sight of another ZAKU but this time it wasn't the ZAKU Warrior but rather its alternate counterpart but the unit before her was black, the same color as a Gunner ZAKU Warrior that had assisted alongside a blue Slash ZAKU Phantom in trying to break apart the remains of Junius Seven before it could crash onto the Earth and then both assisted with defending Aprilius One from an Earth Alliance fleet in the start of this war.

"Dearka!" Shiho called to the Blaze ZAKU Phantom's pilot, detaching her damaged Blaze ZAKU Warrior from the rocky surface. "Thank you for bailing me out, I was beginning to have trouble with the enemy Gundam..."

"Just when I didn't have enough problems..." Roux murmured. As Yzak, Dearka and Shiho were veteran pilots having been within the Le Creuset Team, they were particularly dangerous opponents... not to mention, Dearka was the only one of the three to have aided the Three Ships Alliances in the Battle of Orb, the Battle of Mendel and the Second Battle of Jachin Due while Yzak and Shiho continued to be their enemies until Jachin Due...

"Shiho, retreat to the Voltaire." Dearka advised with a frown. "I will take care of the enemy Gundam, you need to help the rest of the Joule Team."

"A... Alright!" Shiho answered, somewhat taken aback by her comrade's recommendation though it couldn't be helped. The ZAKU Warrior immediately backed away and, shooting a few of the nearest Terminal Mobile Suits to keep the enemy from approaching her too much, began flying back towards the Voltaire, even as the young girl bitterly regretted not having been able to get answers. Immediately, the Gundam Mk-3 began frantically trying to shoot the missiles net of laser beams that the ZAKU Phantom's Blaze Wizard Pack was unleashing against it, using this as a chance to try and close the distance. Unfortunately, Dearka Elsman was far too good a pilot to be taken off guard like that even after being demoted to greencoat, and he skillfully moved his Blaze ZAKU Phantom around in order to keep Roux at a distance, where his "Firebee" Guided Missiles could do the most damage.

"Not bad, still I'm not going to lose to someone like you..." Dearka commented with a frown on his face, having hoped he wouldn't need to fight his opponent to the death. "I'm only going to say this once, leave or I'll have no choice but to follow my orders!"

"I'm sorry, I cannot do as you ask… besides would you really think Durandal really cares about wiping out LOGOs?!" Roux answered, gritting her teeth as a missile from the automated pods struck her Gundam's shoulder and violently jarred her. "Ugh... Besides, my allies and I know the truth plus it seemed that you're showing your share of doubts since you aren't even trying to kill me!"

The Gundam Mk-3 aimed its beam rifle at the Blaze ZAKU Phantom and fired three times, missing with all shots thanks to Dearka's Coordinator reflexes barely saving him. Then, the former redcoat maneuvered his MS in a spectacular arc and fired more shots from his Blaze Wizard Pack, forcing the Gundam Mk-3 on the defensive. Roux gripped her cloche, in a frantic attempt to get herself away from the missiles' line of fire. Once again, Dearka was proving himself the superior pilot...

Despite the Yakt Doga's superior design and Gyunei's artificial Newtype advancements, Amuro's experience as a pilot was keeping the Re-GZ relatively intact, and the New Federation Newtype ace was able to consistently respond to Gyunei's attacks and put him on the ropes. The Yact Doga had lost three funnels, and the black armor plating on its chest and left arm had taken noticeable damage from the Re-GZ's attacks, forcing Gyunei to opt for a more hit-and-run tactic, in the hope of wearing down Amuro's patience. Unfortunately for him, the New Federation pilot was not interested in needlessly prolonging the fight, and as soon as he could, he disengaged the Yact Doga and flew towards Luna-5, quickly putting some distance between himself and his opponent's black Mobile Suit. Gyunei swore and tried to follow, but the alarms going off in his cockpit, warning him of the damage sustained, reminded him that his suit was in less than optimal condition. Amuro continued to fly towards the asteroid, which was now dangerously close to the point of no return... but a strange feeling, almost like an electric jolt, made him realize that danger was coming from somewhere else, and he quickly turned his cameras upwards and to his left...

"This feeling... it's all too familiar to me! Is that you... Char Aznable?"

...just in time to see Char's blood-red Sazabi bearing down on him!

"Amuro!" the Neo-Zeon leader exclaimed, as the two lifelong enemies began their battle...

 **oooooooooo**

Amaterasu Colony.

"Well, well, well... will you take a look at this! No wonder the higher-ups in this colony wanted us to stay away!" Lahge commented, his eyes narrowing angrily at the images flashing on Hari's screen. The green-haired young man was not the kind of person who got angry easily, but in front of such a grave discovery, he could not just stay silent...

"Guess this is kind of more illegal than hacking into military computers, huh?" Mitsuko commented, giving a good, disgusted look at the apparently incomprehensible diagrams appearing on the screen... and at the numerous portraits appearing right after them, a dead giveaway of the crimes committed for the sake of the Hisago Plan. "Looks like these guys have been using live human subjects in Boson Jump experiments..."

"This is preposterous! They well know the dangers of unprotected Boson Jumping..." Hari commented, both angry and horrified at the grisly discovery. "And still, they sacrificed dozens, if not scores, of human lives to their research. This is not going to go down well..."

"Hey, hold on a second..." Saburouta suddenly interrupted. "What's that? I think I can see..."

It all happened in a flash. The screen on which Hari, Saburouta, Chidori and Fiona's friends were seeing the incriminating data winked out of existence... and not a split second later, more comm screens opened up all over the Nadesico B's bridge and the colony, all sporting a single word ominously glaring at the bystanders...

OTIKA

"What?" Saburouta exclaimed, as the Nadesico B's crew began to murmur in surprise and fear. "O... OTIKA? What the Hell is that supposed to mean?"

Mitsuko narrowed her eyes, trying to think of a logical explanation for what was happening. "I... I don't know... I'm completely baffled!" she exclaimed. "I... I can only suppose Fiona and Captain Hoshino are now staring at similar screens all over the colony! Hari, please, can you contact Fiona? I need to ask her what the situation is inside the colony!"

"Right away!" Hari answered, quickly opening a comm channel to the red-haired pilot, with but one quick gesture of his hands. "Contact established! Luckily this interference is not messing up the connections... Fiona! Fiona, can you hear us? What's going on there? We seem to be under attack from an unknown source!"

 **oooooooooo**

"Hell if I know!" Fiona answered, keeping her voice high in order to make herself heard above the screaming of the terrified children. The incident had happened during the guided tour of the colony, trapping the kids and their guides in one of the colony's main corridors... and both Hisagon, the cute mascot, and the pink-haired girl were trying to calm down the younger guests... while Ruri, seemingly unfazed by the whole situation, stood in her place, staring at the innumerable screens popping up everywhere in the corridor. The mysterious word, OTIKA, was still scrolling down all of the screens, in a seeming mockery of the flabbergasted personnel...

"All of a sudden we just stopped... and someone began spamming us with these... things!" Chidori screamed in frustration. "I don't even know what they're supposed to mean! OTIKA? What kind of word is this?"

At that point, something incredible happened - the normally calm and collected Ruri Hoshino widened her eyes in surprise and horror... and began running back to the spaceport, in a display of haste and emotion that the silver-haired captain was not known for. Fiona, for whom the situation had only gotten more nebulous, tried calling her back... before starting to run to catch up with her!

"Fiona! Fiona! What happened? Why is Captain Hoshino...?" Lahge's voice could be heard from the comm screen Fiona had left behind. The red-haired girl called out to Ruri, hoping to get at least some things clear about the whole mess.

"Captain Hoshino, wait up!" Fiona exclaimed. "What's this all about? Do you know... what that word... OTIKA... meant?"

"Captain Hoshino!" Chidori exclaimed.

Without even turning in Fiona's direction, without even slowing down her run, Ruri answered in a voice that betrayed her anxiety. "Yes... OTIKA... is simply AKITO written backwards!" the silver-haired girl answered. That name... Akito... that name sounded familiar in Fiona's memory... she had already heard it before, but she couldn't for the life of her remember when and in what context...

"Akito... Akito..." Fiona repeated to herself, hoping that it would trigger more of her memories. "What about this name, Captain Hoshino? It must be a very important name for you..."

"Indeed it is..." Hari answered, from another comm screen that popped up near Fiona's face. "Akito Misumaru... Captain Hoshino's adoptive father, an A-Class Boson Jumper who died in a mysterious incident about two years ago!"

 **oooooooooo**

In the proximities of the Amaterasu colony, what looked like a new threat suddenly warped into existence... a sleek, dynamic black robot with red highlights!

And its pilot smirked underneath the black visor covering the top half of his face. The moment of reckoning had come...

 **oooooooooo**

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Author's Note: Nadesico fans might have noticed that I used the name "Akito Misumaru" instead of "Akito Tenkawa". This is because, in the Martian Successor Nadesico story, Akito (the protagonist of the TV series) eventually marries Yurika Misumaru, the first captain of a Nadesico-class ship, and the daughter of an important officer of the Earth Union. In Japan, when the family of the wife is of higher social status, it is the husband who takes the wife's last name, not vice versa... so it always sounded strange to me that, even in the Nadesico movie, everyone kept calling our hero "Akito Tenkawa"...**

 **Oh and you may already notice the inclusion of Kaname Chidori onboard the Nadesico B and a mention of her sister Ayame being at the Terminal assisting with the final preparations there, I have some plans for them down the line but will cross that bridge when I come to it. But don't worry, Sousuke, Kurtz and Melissa will get their chance to kick some major ass soon enough. I thank my friend EmperorDraco7 for helping me, and I apologize to him if I had to cut some of the things he wrote, but I really appreciate his attempts to help!**

 **The battle continues in the next update, where Amuro and Char come face to face, Yzak and Dearka clash against, respectively, Judau and Roux... and the horrifying truth of the Hisago plan comes to surface! Don't miss it!**

 **Also, I would like to tell you guys about my friend Xamusel – Gamma 11's new crossover story, Never Surrender, a crossover between Kamen Rider and Futari Wa Pretty Cure that is looking very nice right now! Keep an eye out for it if you like either of those shows!**


	6. Ghost of Amaterasu

**SUPER ROBOT TAISEN S**

 **Welcome back, mecha anime fans! I apologize for a small mistake I did in the previous chapter - in an earlier part, I had said that Akito and Yurika (Ruri's adoptive parents) had disappeared one year before the events of my story, but then, near the end, I inadvertedly changed it to two years. It was a bit of inconsistent writing on my part, I know... and just for clearing things up, just know that the right period of time, according to the Nadesico - Prince of Darkness subs I have seen, is one year. Heh, what can I say, I am still a beginner as a writer...**

 **Anyway, this chapter will cover the first battle at Amaterasu colony (along with some shocking discoveries that will throw our heroes for a loop), the beginning of Operation Fury (aka the Second Battle of Orb) on Earth and the conclusion of the battle between the Neo-Zeon / ZAFT alliance and the Terminal forces, in the proximities of Luna-5. Will the secret of the Hisago Plan and the mysterious black robot be discovered? Can the Luna-5 drop be averted? The answer all await for you in this chapter, so... happy reading!**

 **oooooooooo**

 **Chapter 6 - Ghost of Amaterasu**

"Djibril's with the Seirans?!" Orb's Chief Representative Cagalli Yula Athha exclaimed, horrified at what Colonel Ledonir Kisaka was telling her, Chandra, Tonomoura, Neumann, Pal, Mir and Murrue on screen despite being angry with Kira for trashing her Gundam when he used it to defend the Eternal prior to receiving the Strike Freedom. "Are you sure?"

Kisaka frowned as he slowly nodded his head to confirm that he was not making it up. "Yes, there's no mistake…" he replied, wishing that it wasn't true because it was only a matter of time before the neutral nation was confronted with force much like the EA and the Titans did in the first war. "Also it looks like ZAFT and Neo Zeon know too. Even as we speak, a fleet from Carpentaria is being deployed off the coast of Onogoro."

"Unato…" began Cagalli, realizing what the Seirans were planning and needed to know if Orb is already making the necessary preparations for the evacuation process before the attack takes place much like when the EA and the Titans attacked them in the first war, not to mention the Three Ships Alliance just wasn't the same without Jessica, Misha, Sai Argyle and Dearka onboard the Archangel, yet at the same time had no clue on what kind of game Unato is playing. "What is he doing?"

 **oooooooooo**

"No matter what, we insist that they hand him over to us" declared Durandal, knowing that they needed to take out Djibril and was well aware that Orb had not joined them in eliminating LOGOS like the rest of the world were doing…. It was one thing for the supposedly neutral nation to ally themselves with the Earth Alliance, the same military who invaded them in the previous war, but protecting a terrorist like Djibril made it quite clear that Orb had to be destroyed if they refuse to hand Blue Cosmos' leader to ZAFT.

The rest of the officials in ZAFT, including Talia, stayed silent as they reflected on the Battle of Aprilius, the Battle of Berlin, the Battle of Heavens' Base, the latter involving many of the LOGOS members being arrested following Neo Zeon and ZAFT's victory against Heaven's Base itself. Not only this but memories of the lifeless corpse that the Minerva's crew discovered at Lodonia and the innocent civilians being brutally murdered by the Destroy that Stellar Loussier piloted at Berlin also flashed before their eyes. "Given his role in the Heaven's Base battle as well as the evidence we have already obtained, his guilt is beyond question" he continued with a stern expression on his face, even without Char's assistance due to having to handle things in space, he himself would make sure Djibril won't get away with the crimes caused by him and the rest of LOGOS - though he couldn't help but wonder what Char was up to, despite assisting them in their cause. "For them to give this man sanctuary… is absolutely unacceptable."

Everyone in the room had to agree, this was the final draw in the matter and they needed to take action as soon as possible. "The fleet has already been dispatched from the base at Carpentaria in response to our request but we're also taking emergency precautions just in case" informed one of the officials. "The Minerva is to head out immediately and join the fleet."

The news surprised Talia to no end, then again the Minerva did aid their allies in tough battles before and this would be no exception. "Our ship, sir?" she asked with hopes of having heard the man right. "We're to join them from here?"

"We won't be able to negotiate them, not unless they see we mean business" explained the man, causing Talia to bite her lower lip a bit before accepting her orders since she couldn't override them even if she was a member of FAITH. "You should get there in plenty of time."

Soon enough, Durandal decided to speak up since it was clear that the crew of the Minerva, which included the pilots, needed some rest after facing previous battles beforehand. "I realize your crew must be exhausted after fighting consecutive battles, but I'm counting on you, Captain Gladys" he reassured despite the glare she gave him as he hoped that once Djibril is gone, they can be of aid against Terminal, the only other enemy of the Destiny Plan, even if it meant to destroy the Orb Union to accomplish his goal and his reassuring smile faded before explaining the other reason for needing to act right away. "Not only does Orb pride itself on its advanced military technology but because of its Mass Driver, he also has a route to space and is what has me concerned."

The rest of the officials knew this would cause more problems should Djibril ever make it to space via the Kaguya Mass Driver. "Should Djibril be able to take Orb's military strength and link up with the Alliance forces based on the moon, there's a real possibility the colonies such as the PLANT homeland could find itself in danger again" he made them reflect on what he's telling them. "After all, Djibril is the new leader of Blue Cosmos and a convinced anti-Coordinator."

Talia didn't know what to say, while Durandal was right about the fact, she wasn't sure on how to respond to the matter. "Are you suggesting Orb will help him?" she finally asked, getting his complete attention.

"He is in Orb, even as we speak" he reminded the Minerva's captain, not wanting to risk the chance of the colonies being destroyed and a repeat of the Bloody Valentine Tragedy. "It's inconceivable that Orb is the only country that doesn't know we're looking for him."

"Until the Junius Seven incident, we considered Orb to be a friendly nation. We were close to it…" continued Durandal, standing up from his seat before turning away for a brief moment in deep thought and knew what had to be done. "Now I can't help but feel… disappointed…"

Turning back towards everyone in the room, the time had come to take matters into their own hands, one way or another, Djibril needed to be stopped now. "Nevertheless, we have no intention of backing away from this situation. LOGOS has gotten away with its actions for far too long!" with a strong voice, he decided that waiting for Char to come to Earth and aid them would possibly lead to Djibril using it as his chance to leave the planet via the Kaguya Mass Driver. "It's time that man was brought to justice!"

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone in the room saluted, yet Talia did so in silence as it seemed that she was starting to feel that her own trust towards Orb started to fade away...

 **oooooooooo**

In the meantime, everyone in Orb was in confusion as the Neo Zeon/ZAFT fleet on Earth waited outside their territorial waters. Even the civilians residing in the nation were worried after hearing their home possibly being attacked again, this time by Neo Zeon and ZAFT as opposed to the Titans and the Earth Alliance two years ago. Onboard the Archangel, Cagalli walked through the halls of the ship and heard a conversation taking place within the cafeteria.

"You're kidding; the government hasn't made an announcement?"

Looking into the cafeteria, she saw that the crew members and pilots were discussing on the reasons for what was about to happen yet they were also concerned for the civilian population as there's not word on the fact Onogoro had once again become a target in the war."No, and the press isn't allow to say anything either" answered one of the Murasume pilots with a scowl forming on his face as this doesn't add up at all.

"What kind of game does Seiran think he's playing?" the pilots and crew members never noticed Cagalli overhearing and watching them, a scowl forming on her face since she wished that she never allowed Orb to ally itself with the Earth Alliance to begin with then walked off.

Along the way, Lieutenant Amagi came up to her. "Lady Cagalli!" he called out, stopping her dead in her tracks.

"I already know!" said Cagalli, turning her attention towards Amagi with a darkened expression forming on her face because they needed to be ready soon before Neo Zeon/ZAFT's Earth based fleet attacked them. "You wanna tell me this isn't a battle yet! That I shouldn't rush out! That I should wait to see what Unato does next!"

Slowly nodding his head, Amagi knew Cagalli was right about what he intended to tell her since she was the sole heir of the Athha Family's legacy which contributed to her having become Orb's new Chief Representative following the previous war. "Yes, and Colonel Kisaka agrees…" he started only to be interrupted.

"I know all that!" she snapped, not happy with how things were turning out. "But still…" She stopped herself from finishing her sentence, thinking again of Athrun's injuries which he had taken...

While this was happening, Neo was still in the room that Athrun was recovering in, the former Captain of Phantom Pain watching footage from the Battle of Heaven's Base when he heard Athrun attempting to get up from his own bed.

"Hey! Hey!" Neo called out to Athrun as the ex-ZAFT pilot would only worsen his condition by moving around the way he did. "You're not gonna get better if you keep moving around like that! Stay still and get some sleep!"

"But Orb…."

"Orb is safe for now..." Neo stated with a weary sigh. "You should get rested and wait until you're better enough to move."

Athrun sighed and resigned himself to laying down and trying to recover his strength. He felt terrible at not doing anything to help when his friends were in such a difficult situation, but Neo had a point. He just hoped things were not going to get worse anytime soon...

 **oooooooooo**

As the battle for Luna-5 raged on, and Amaterasu colony was thrown into chaos by the sudden informatic attack, things were not going smoothly on Earth as well, and especially not in the city that had been pinpointed as the target of the Luna-5 colony drop...

The Lahsa spaceport, in one of the most important cities in New Earth Federation territory, was always a busy, crowded place... but that day, the activity had reached truly unbelievable heights, as flights to the Earth Sphere's inner colonies were departing with incredible frequency. Many had already left for outer space, but even so, the spaceport was crowded almost to its limit, queues of desperate people piling up in front of the admittance stands and the check-ins as they frantically tried to get into the earlier shuttle to space. Those who had no means to get into a shuttle, had left Lahsa through other means already, or had resigned themselves to waiting in their homes and hoping against hope that the Luna-5 drop could be averted. Unfortunately, the spaceport personnel, even if they were doing their best to help with the evacuation, couldn't handle all the incoming people, and many people were reluctantly denied access to their only means of escape.

"But... there vouchers are perfectly regular! Why can't we be admitted on the next shuttle?" A young woman in her early thirties asked the agent in front of her. Mirai Noah, formerly known as Mirai Yashima, had hoped to reach her husband in space together with their children, fourteen-year-old Hathaway and ten-year-old Cheimin... but just when it seemed that they could all safely get on board, they had been faced with a polite, but stern, refusal.

The agent in front of them looked sadly at the vouchers. "We're terribly sorry, Madam, but... there have been some complications, and we are effectively unable to help you with your request. We deeply apologize... but there's nothing we can do about it..." he said, sincerely sorry for the family's predicament. They all looked like such a nice family too... Mirai, despite not being so young anymore, still kept her dignified beauty, as evident in her smooth black hair and well-defined face... while her eldest son, Hathaway, really looked like a fine young man, with his well-combed short black hair; and Cheimin, the youngest child, seemed like the daughter everyone would have wanted, being pretty much a child version of her mother. The New Federation agent wished he could do something to help them, but...

But he was denied the chance to say what he had in mind, as a mature-looking man in an elegant grey trenchcoat and fedora hat rudely pushed his way through the queue, seemingly oblivious to the waiting people, and took Mirai and her children's place in front of the agent. Mirai tried to protest, but the man ignored her completely and began speaking to the surprised agent.

"By some coincidence, I've been given an extra voucher." the man said, without even a proper greeting. He was carrying himself with an annoying air of superiority that was making more than one pair of eyebrows raise. "Why don't you void one of my reservations and give it to one of them? After all, I was accorded a seat on the next shuttle because of my position as a New Federation ambassador." The trenchcoat-wearing man pointed to Mirai and her family... but rather than an act of genuine kindness, his action had all the markings of something done just to get some praise for himself...

"Oh, Mr. Adenauer Paraya... are you sure? Well, if that is the case... it can be done." the Federation agent answered politely, although he expertly hid his disgust at the man. Adenauer Paraya, one of the most important members of the New Federation Embassy, was not very well liked by the public, because of his selfishness and his sympathy for the Blue Cosmos-backed political wings... and the fact that he was seen as a womanizer who had married (and subsequently divorced) at least six times in fourteen years certainly did not help his case any.

But that was not the place for personal opinions, and the agent had not much of a choice other than accept Adenauer's three vouchers and sign them, while giving Mirai and her children an apologetic glance. Adenauer nodded in satisfaction and turned to a teenage girl with bright azure-green hair tied in a pair of pigtails waiting at the back of the queue, carrying a rather large suitcase. "That's good, then. Come, Quess, we're leaving."

"Yes, Father." the young girl answered unenthusiastically. She sounded like she'd rather be everywhere but there...

As the turquoise-haired teenager followed her father, and Adenauer motioned for one of the Noah family to follow him onboard the shuttle, Hathaway took a look at Quess... and by the look in his eyes, one could easily see that the boy had been instantly smitten by her. Not that one could blame him, of course - Quess looked quite attractive for her age, with those long pigtails giving her a girlishly innocent look and with that gentle yet strong-minded expression. As he looked at the girl passing near him, dragging her suitcase with her, Hathaway immediately felt something bonding him to her... something he couldn't quite put into words, but that still binded him to her...

He realized he had pretty much spaced out only when he heard his mother's voice gently calling to him. "Hathaway, maybe you should go with them." Mirai suggested, and when her eldest son turned to her, a somewhat puzzled look on his face, the young mother continued. "After all, you're a grown boy now, and I think it's time for you to see what space is like for the first time! Don't worry about me and Cheimin... we'll take the next train away from here, and we'll join you as soon as we can."

"I agree with that, big brother." little Cheimin went on. "Go ahead with Mr. Paraya... and say hi to daddy for us if you see him!"

Hathaway stood there for some time, reflecting on the idea... but in the end, he thought he might as well go ahead and accept Adenauer's offer. After all, he too wanted to see space, and if this gave him a chance to travel together with Quess... hey, bonus.

"Alright then, Mom, Cheimin... I'll go!" Hathaway answered, with a smile and a nod. "Please take care of yourselves."

As Hathaway grabbed his luggage, Adenauer nodded in satisfaction, and stood waiting for the boy to complete his goodbyes, before heading to the departing shuttle...

 **oooooooooo**

The battle near Luna-5 had reached its peak: Mobile Suits of both factions were darting in and out of each other's reach, shooting multicolored laser beams and slashing at any opponent with their beam sabers. Machines were blowing up all over the place, claiming more and more lives... and yet, Terminal had not managed to attack Luna-5 and blast it apart before it could reach the stoppage limit point. The point of no return was getting closer within seconds...

And in all the mayhem, the opposing armies' aces were fiercely dueling each other, with the Neo-Zeon and ZAFT alliance slowly but surely getting the upper hand!

Amuro's Re-GZ barely dodged a laser beam from the Sazabi's chest cannon and retaliated with a volley of red beams for its wing-mounted cannons, but Char's red Mobile Suit, despite its bulk and the fact that it clearly stood out among other machines, was too agile to be hit so easily, and managed to get away once again.

"Char! Why are you trying to drop this thing on Earth?" Amuro shouted, demanding an explanation for his arch-nemesis' actions.

"The people living on that planet only think of themselves!" Char answered, his voice barely rising above what was necessary. "That is why I have decided to purge them!"

Another shot came from the Neo Zeon commander's Mobile Suit, and this time, the Re-GZ was struck on one of its wings, making Amuro bite back a curse. Immediately, the younger Newtype pressed a button on his console, and the Re-GZ immediately discarded its damaged wings and outer coating, revealing another body underneath it all - a sleek, polished humanoid Mobile Suit reminiscent of the Zeta Gundam used in the war against the Titans and the first Neo Zeon...

"Such arrogance... A man seeking to pass judgment on his fellow men?" Amuro asked in incredulous anger. "These are the words of one who suffers from a God complex!"

The Re-GZ, now in Mobile Suit mode, darted towards the Sazabi, beam saber in hand, and the red Mobile Suit responded in kind by unlimbering a large beam axe from its back and parrying the first blow.

"I, Char Aznable, shall cleanse Earth from all impurities, including LOGOS. Why can't you understand that, Amuro?" the blond Colonel fired back. With a swift gesture of its arm, the Sazabi repelled the Re-GZ and turned the tables on Amuro, forcing him on the defensive. "Wars have been fought, lives have been destroyed, and yet, people refuse to change! And the Earth is the root of all this... it is because its gravity keeps holding back those fools that nothing ever changes!"

"And you would murder so many because of that? Who do you think you are, anyway?" Amuro screamed, gritting his teeth as a blow from the Sazabi's beam axe rattled the Re-GZ.

"Are these the words of a Newtype who is letting the system take advantage of him?" Char accused, keeping up his attack. The Re-GZ barely managed to get some breathing room and fired a shot from its beam rifle, striking the Sazabi in its right arm and causing a small explosion and a shower of sparks.

"And you'll always despise others with that foolish attitude!" Amuro answered back. He never got to attack a second time, though, as a volley of Funnels detached itself from the Sazabi's shoulder pads and hovered ominously around the red MS for a brief moment... before unleashing a deluge of beams on the Re-GZ! Amuro swore under his breath and tried to dodge, but even a Newtype as skilled as he was could not dodge the whole of that attack.

One beam tore through the Re-GZ's arm, severing it at the elbow. Another struck the Zeta Gundam lookalike in the hip, blowing its whole leg off... and then another scraped the chest area, dangerously close to the cockpit! The Re-GZ was thrown backwards like a rag doll, and slammed violently against a floating piece of debris, while Amuro was thrown forward with a sudden jolt and felt a sharp blow in his ribs. He coughed a few times, then quickly composed himself and glared hatefully at the almost-unharmed Sazabi floating in front of him, its Funnels pointed and ready to fire. Amuro's Mobile Suit was too damaged to continue fighting... he was completely at Char's mercy.

"Isn't it obvious? That Mobile Suit you're piloting will never be a match for my Sazabi." Char stated calmly... then, much to Amuro's surprise, he passed that chance to finish him off and sped away, the Sazabi's Funnels returning to their place a moment later. Gyunei's black Yakt Doga, who had been hovering in the proximities in case its aid had been necessary, followed suit.

"Colonel! Won't you finish him off?" Gyunei asked in puzzlement.

"That won't be necessary. Luna-5 has already reached the critical point." Char answered... and much to Amuro's horror, when the New Federation ace controlled his on-board instruments, he could clearly see that the asteroid was already beyond stopping, without Terminal having been able to significantly damage it. "The gravity of the Earth will do the rest for us. For now, we're retreating. We have done enough damage for now, and remaining would only put us at undue risk."

"Furthermore..." Char thought to himself as he and his young protégée returned to the Minerva. "I would not be satisfied with defeating Amuro, if he was not piloting a Gundam..."

As the Sazabi and the Yakt Doga got away, Amuro quickly opened a comm channel to the Ral Kairam, in the hope that the ship could at least do some damage to the speeding asteroid. "Ral Kairam, this is Re-GZ... Ral Kairam, do you copy? I... I'm sorry to inform you that Luna-5 has passed the stoppage limit... do what you can to reduce the damage to Earth! Unfortunately, I am unable to do anything more..."

"Ral Kairam here... acknowledge!" Meyrin answered, with palpable fear in her voice. "We're already readying the Mega Particle Cannon, but I'm afraid it won't do much good, what with Luna-5's mass and velocity..."

 **oooooooooo**

Judau and Roux were not faring much better than Amuro: the Gundam MK-3 had quickly found itself under attack from both the black ZAKU Phantom and the ZAKU Warrior, and was already missing an arm and part of its chest armor courtesy of the former's beam tomahawk and missiles... while the ZZ and Judau were having their hands full dodging the white GOUF Ignited furious assault, which had backed the black-haired pilot up against the side of a meteor. With a quick slash of both his hyper beam sabers, Judau blocked another thrust... but the GOUF Ignited quickly slipped through his guard, and the ZZ Gundam found itself facing the wrong side of the GOUF Ignited forearm-mounted "Draupnir" 4-barrel Beam Gun!

A devastating barrage hit the ZZ in its chest, violently jarring Judau and sending the transformable Mobile Suit slamming into the meteor, electrical sparks already spraying from the chinks in it armor. With a hint of disappointment on his face, Yzak raised his Mobile Suit's "Tempest" Beam Sword and began to dive forward, fully intending to put the ZZ out of action... but just then, a transmission coming from Dearka and the ZAKU Phantom forced him to halt his finishing blow.

"Yzak, we're receiving orders from Colonel Aznable." The blond ZAFT ace turned greencoat reported, yet he and his fellow Joule Team members weren't thrilled with what's about to happen next. "Luna-5 has gotten through its stoppage limit. Whatever Terminal might do now, it would do nothing to stop Luna-5 from impacting. We have to retreat."

The platinum-haired ZAFT commander felt a wave of outrage running through him, but he refrained himself in front of Dearka. "What? Are... are you serious, Dearka?! Bad enough we have to deal with having Aznable tell us what to do! And you have to wonder what the hell that guy's hiding from us!" he shouted, to which Dearka couldn't blame his comrade for feeling this way.

"These are the orders, and there is not much we can do about it unfortunately, besides Durandal wanted us to join forces with him." Dearka answered. "Not to mention staying here would only be a waste of time. Our mission is complete."

"He's right, Yzak... let's go back to the Voltaire." Shiho suggested. "We'll get another chance to defeat the ZZ and the Gundam MK-3 soon. Though in all honesty, I hope we won't have to fight them or Terminal again."

Yzak gripped the controls of his Mobile Suit, but he knew that his friends were not to blame for this order, and both Dearka and Shiho were two of the few people who had his trust, anyway, so he quickly gave in. "All... all right then, we'll retreat for now." he answered tiredly, before glaring at the damaged ZZ slowly untangling itself from the meteor's remains with disappointment. "Hmph... consider yourself lucky, ZZ. This time, I'm letting you get away. But next time... next time, you better take me seriously cause I won't show you any mercy!"

The ZAKU Warrior, GOUF Ignited and ZAKU Phantom trio headed back to their Nazca-class mothership, leaving the damaged and dispirited Terminal forces alone, as they could do nothing more than watch powerlessly Luna-5 beginning an unstoppable descent towards Earth. The Ral Kairam's Mega Particle Cannon fired, shooting an enormous red beam... and managed to blow apart a chunk of the asteroid; but just like Meyrin had said, even that could do nothing more than put a dent on the huge asteroid...

 **oooooooooo**

Back at Orb, everyone in the bridge of the Archangel waited for what the Seirans were planning to do concerning the matter of the Neo Zeon/ZAFT fleet. "The Orb government is on the air, it's an official response." came Mir's voice from her position on communications, getting the attention of Murrue and Cagalli as they had a bad feeling about it. "I'm putting it on the speakers."

Everyone stayed silent as they listened carefully to the response being made though suspected Yuna would do something to do all of Orb. _"On behalf of the government of Orb, allow me to reply to your warning!"_ they heard Yuna declaring to the Neo Zeon/ZAFT fleet outside of Onogoro. _"The individual by the name of Lord Dijbril, who, you had demanded we hand over, is simply not in this country!"_

"Yuna, no!" yelled Cagalli as this wasn't like how her late adoptive father Uzumi Nara Athha refused to give in to the Earth Alliance's demands yet at the same time, it led to the same outcome, an enemy fleet launching an all out attack on Orb.

" _Furthermore, this kind of intimidation where the threat of force is used to try and tarnish our good name is an insult to our sovereign nation! We find it distasteful!"_

Needless to say, the crew members of the Minerva were not only listening to the response but were also watching the announcement on the screen as if Yuna was intending to deceive them and the rest of the Neo Zeon/ZAFT alliance into falling for a trick such as this. _"Therefore, we insist that you withdraw your forces at once!"_

"How could he?!" yelled Cagalli out of anger, tightening her left hand at the fact Yuna had officially just doomed Orb by lying to the Neo Zeon/ZAFT alliance like that. "Does he really think… his words are helping?! This situation is out of control!"

 **ooooooooooo**

As expected Durandal frowned as its clear Orb refused to hand Dijbril to them willingly and by threatening them, the nation had sealed the final nail in its coffin. "It appears we now have no alternative" he said, standing up from his chair once more in deep thought. "I see no reason to let this little game continue any longer… If they insist on responding to our concerns with such blatant lies, then in the name of Justice and for the sake of peace for all, I will take action! Drag Lord Dijbril out of Orb!"

"Yes, sir!"

 **oooooooooo**

Amaterasu Colonies.

The appearance of the dreaded Boson Jumping black robot, together with the unexplained computer attack, had thrown the colony is disarray, as scores of mass-produced Aestivalis and other grunt units were being fielded in an attempt to stop the invader. Like a shark swimming through water, the black robot fluidly moved towards its target, shooting down or disabling anything unfortunate enough to cross its path. Those few shots that actually managed to reach the unknown attacker harmlessly bounced off an invisible Distortion Field that surrounded the mysterious unit. There seemed to be no stopping this mysterious terror.

"What are those idiots doing?" Commodore Azuma practically roared in indignation, watching the brave but ultimately pointless attempts of the colony's defenders to fend off the black attacker. "It's just one robot! Why can't they take it down?"

"Commodore Azuma, it seems we're dealing with an enemy whose capabilities far exceed our expectation." came the advice of Azuma's advisor Aritomo Shinjo, a young man in his late twenties with short dark blue hair and a cam, collected expression which contrasted with his superior's anger. "We'd better pull our unmanned units back, and send the Lion's Sickle battalion to greet the opponent."

"Hmph... so be it, then!" Azuma grunted, before grabbing a comm unit and contacting the aforementioned division. "Hey, Lion's Sickle! Lion's Sickle, do you copy? The black robot that's given us so much grief is approaching the colony as we speak! You go out there and destroy it, am I clear? I will not tolerate failure!"

 **oooooooooo**

"Heh... don't worry! The Lion's Sickle has never lost once, and we're not going to lose today!" A strong female voice, coming from the cockpit of a custom red Aestivalis, answered the call. 21-year-old Captain Ryoko Subaru, leader of the elite fighting unit called Lion's Sickle and former pilot on board the first Nadesico-class battleship, grabbed her Rapid Rifle and lead a group of sleek, silver-blue Aestivalis units out of the colony's hangars ready to meet the advancing menace. "Alright, boys, that's our opponent! The famed black robot! We go out there and kick its ass, understood? Take care, though, I hear it's a pretty tough nut to crack. It can Boson Jump and its armor is pretty thick. But I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle, right?"

As her soldiers simultaneously answered an affirmative, Ryoko nodded and gave full power to her Aestivalis' thrusters, speeding towards the black robot with fierce determination. Of medium height for her age, with an athletic build and short black hair with dark blue highlights, Ryoko already had a steady reputation as a skilled fighter and an excellent field commander, though she was sometimes accused of being a little too reckless in combat. However, considering the Lion's Sickle had never been defeated as of the present day, few were going to hold it against her.

"Heh. So, you're the freak who is messing up our operations, huh? Well, tough luck, pal, 'cause I'll make sure you don't cause any more damage!" Ryoko shouted, launching her first attack on the black robot and shooting a hail of bullets from her Rapid Rifle. The black robot expanded its Distortion Field and effortlessly took all of her fire, making Ryoko bite back a swear word and get ready to maneuver in order to avoid a counterattack...

But the counter never came. The black robot ignored her, much to Ryoko's surprise, and continued speeding towards the colony, as if its pilot was uninterested in fighting her. The other Aestivalis of the Lion's Sickle battalion opened fire on their enemy or tried striking it with their Field Lancers, but it was simply too fast for them, and it managed to dodge everything and continue on its way to Amaterasu, unharmed and unstoppable.

"What... what the Hell is that guy doing?" Ryoko asked herself, seething with rage but managing to keep her aggression under control. "He's not even trying to fight us... and yet, he blew scores of unmanned units to kingdom come. But more importantly, what is he after?"

Snorting in annoyance, Ryoko grabbed her Aestivalis' cloche and sped after the fleeing black robot, desperate to know a little more about this elusive and unreadable foe. "Damn you... you're not going to get away like this!"

 **oooooooooo**

"Captain Hoshino, we're ready to launch whenever you want!" Fiona said from the Excellence's cockpit. The young red-haired pilot had switched over to the Striker Frame, and was now waiting in position on the Nadesico B's launch catapults as Ruri once again got her place on the captain's seat. "I and Lt. Saburouta will take down that black robot!"

"Calm yourself, Fiona. We're not going to engage the opponent right now." Ruri answered calmly, surprising Fiona a little. "The Nadesico B's priority for now will be to act as a backup and assist in evacuating civilians."

"That is correct." Mitsuko went on, seated near Hari as the young boy frantically tried to keep the battle monitored. The female mechanic pointed to a monitor, which showed a few civilian shuttles beginning to evacuate the colony, trying to keep as far away as possible from the battle. "Furthermore, I think good ol' Azuma doesn't really want us to interfere with his battle."

"For now, we'll just wait here and monitor the events." Ruri stated. "Hari, please, could you hack once again into Amaterasu?" When the young boy turned to the captain in puzzlement, Ruri opened a small comm screen beside her, showing the same cryptic, seemingly incomprehensible word which had been spammed throughout the colony's screens for a few minutes: OTIKA.

"Password is: AKITO. This word, written backwards." Ruri stated, ignoring Hari calling out to her in an attempt to have the situation explained to him. "IFS retrofeedback at Level 10. Control systems activated. All stations, remain in A-Level alert. Lt. Saburouta, Miss Grayden, please be ready to go out at any moment now."

"Alright, Captain Hoshino..." Fiona answered, as Ruri's seat was lifted in the air by a few inches and surrounded by a plethora of luminous screens, which formed a sphere-like structure around her body. The teenaged Captain inhaled and briefly closed her eyes, as the word AKITO replayed in her mind, bringing a host of bittersweet memories along with it.

And, for the first time since her foster parents disappeared, Ruri Hoshino smiled, a sweet, sincere smile filled with hope that, perhaps, not all was lost.

 **oooooooooo**

"Okay, this is messed up..." Lahge commented, as he watched the battle on the screens of the Nadesico B's bridge. "Now that black robot has stopped fighting and is heading towards the colony... for what reason? What does the pilot hope to gain from that? The enemy's true objective... is really unclear to me..."

Outside the colony, dangerously close to the Nadesico B, the elusive invader was giving Ryoko the fits. No matter how much the female ace pilot and her wingmen pressed their attack, the enemy was always able to repel it with its Distortion Field, and as of now, its black armor didn't even have one dent upon it.

"Dammit! This is getting nowhere!" Ryoko swore. A group of unmanned Aestivalis, joined by a small force of weird-looking grey robots with a bulky body and large missile pads mounted on their shoulders (a new model of unmanned weapon known as Sternkugel among the military), came out to stand in the black robots' way... but the mysterious enemy reacted in a way Ryoko and her underlings certainly did not expect: it shed a layer of its outer armor, whose chunks flew at the unmanned unit with such speed that they actually managed to fatally damage them! Ryoko watched in a mixture of surprise and horror as huge fragments of black shrapnel pierced the unmanned unit's metallic hides, causing them to explode. The idea that, if the mysterious pilot had wished so, that would have been her fate as well almost made the fearless female pilot balk in disbelief... but her aggressiveness quickly overtook her fear, and she produced a large rail gun from her Aestivalis' back, firing a few shots at the fleeing black robot.

"Damn you... do you think you're Gekiganger or something?" the girl shouted, nimbly dodging a few pieces of black shrapnel headed her way. As of now, the black robot was dangerously close to the colony, a fact which was not lost on the Nadesico crew... and especially Ruri, who quickly caught sight of one of her screens reporting an anomaly.

"The door is opening. What is that supposed to mean for us?" Ruri calmly asked, talking more to herself than to anyone else...

 **oooooooooo**

Commodore Azuma and a few members of Amaterasu's military personnel were monitoring the battle from the colony's headquarters... and what had suddenly popped up on the screens had caused the hotheaded commodore's jaw to drop in disbelief: according to the transmitted data, the mysterious black robot was entering the colony from an entrance called Gate 13; which, in itself, would have already been a sufficient cause for alarm, were it not for another issue which made it all the more unsettling.

"W... What?" Azuma stuttered, his previous bravado giving way to uncertainty and fear. "The... the mysterious invader is breaking through Gate 13? What... what the Hell does that mean? There was not even supposed to BE a Gate 13 in this godforsaken colony!"

Quickly glancing around, as if searching for an explanation to this all, Azuma began hysterically questioning the soldiers, most of which stepped backwards in confusion. "What's this all about? I knew nothing of a Gate 13 in this colony... and I'm in charge of the military here!" he shouted, getting more and more enraged by the second. "Does anybody have an explanation for this?"

"As you can plainly see, Commodore Azuma, there is a Gate 13 after all." This cryptic answer came from Aritomo Shinjo, the young officer who had accompanied the Commodore during the first phases of the black robot's attack. Unlike most of the military in the room, Aritomo looked pretty unconcerned with what was happening... as if he already knew that this was going to happen sooner or later...

"Lieutenant Shinjo? What do you mean by..." Azuma started to inquire...

But he was denied any chance to continue. The back door slid open, and several men, wearing the New Federation uniform and armed with small machine guns, quickly entered the command room and pointed their weapons at Azuma, who stepped back in disbelief as Aritomo himself drew a pistol from the inside of his uniform and aimed it at his former superior!

"It means that this silly charade is over." Aritomo stated matter-of-factly. "It is a shame that we could not keep it up any longer, but we already have what we need in any event. That man's persistence was indeed troublesome, but even he could not hold us back for long."

"Wh... Wh... WHAT?" Azuma practically roared, but he dared not make foolish moves in front of several machine guns aimed at him and his few remaining soldiers. "Aritomo! You dare point your weapon at a superior officer? At an officer of the New Earth Federation? This... this is treason! I will have you executed as soon as this mess is sorted out! You hear me? You won't get away with this!"

In the face of Aritomo's smug stoicism, Azuma's anger looked more and more like a childish temper tantrum. "You are not exactly in a position to threaten us, Commodore. And in any case, we do not recognize your authority. Take this man away. We'll take care of him and his minions as soon as we solve this little dilemma."

Aritomo's soldiers quickly marched towards the few remaining Amaterasu loyalists and began rounding them up and immobilizing them, starting with the furious Azuma, who nonetheless continued thrashing and cursing in a feeble attempt to get free and reassert his own authority. "Ugh... Aritomo, you... you damn betrayer!" he roared. "And just who are 'you', anyway? What are you planning to do by hijacking our Hisago Plan?"

"The Hisago Plan was never yours in the first place, Commodore Azuma." Aritomo answered. "We only allowed you to think so, while in fact you were doing all the work for us. And as for your first question... we are the enemies of Earth, the enemies of Jupiter, the enemies of Neo Zeon and ZAFT... and the enemies of all the corruption that's running rampant in these wretched times."

As if on cue, Aritomo and his minions unbuttoned the front of their uniforms... only to reveal another uniform underneath! A beige uniform wih long red sleeves and a red male symbol drawn on the chest...

"We are the Martian Successors!" Aritomo exclaimed, with a triumphant smirk.

 **oooooooooo**

The black robot and Ryoko's red Aestivalis continued their frantic cat-and-mouse game, speeding through the colony's gate and entering a narrow tunnel digging into Amaterasu's interior. As soon as the Lion's Sickle leader was in, though, another batch of unmanned Aestivalis and Sternkugel took off from some hidden hangars and flew towards her, in an attempt to stop her from going any further. Growling in annoyance, Ryoko grabbed her Field Lancer and sliced apart a Sternkugel before it could aim its missiles, before sending its torn carcass to explode on the tunnel's floor. More unmanned units tried to get between her and the fleeing black robot, but the ace pilot took them out with almost contemptuous ease, and resumed her chase.

Just then, on board the Nadesico B, Ruri decided that the moment to strike back had come. "Very well. We will now be entering the fray ourselves. All units, stand ready for launch. Pilot Grayden, Lieutenant Saburouta, are you ready?"

"All system ready! We're clear for launch, Captain!" Saburouta answered cheerfully.

"I'm still not sure what's going on here... but I'm ready too!" came Fiona's reply from the Excellence Striker's cockpit. Normally, the bulky red frame would have been ill-advised for a space battle, but considering there was very little distance between the Nadesico B and the colony, after which Fiona would have had to simply proceed in the colony's interior, the Striker was good enough. "Fiona Grayden, Excellence Striker, ready for launch."

"Tarasugi Saburouta, Super Aestivalis, ready as well." the blond Jovian pilot piped up. Ruri nodded, giving both of them permission to launch... and one second later, Hari activated the catapults, and the two units were propelled into space, heading for Gate 13. As both of them headed after the mysterious black invader, Fiona opened a communication with the Nadesico B's bridge... and, more exactly, with Lahge and Mitsuko, who were supporting both the Captain and Hari.

"Lahge, Mitsuko... exactly, what's going on here?" Fiona asked. "First we get some hints that Captain Hoshino's adoptive father may not be dead after all... and then, this happens. What's going on in that colony?"

"We're still not 100% positive..." Mitsuko answered. "But it seems that someone is doing a takeover from within. The location the black robot forced its way into, and for which you're heading at the moment, was not even supposed to exist, according to the colony map in the Nadesico B's computers."

"Be careful, Fiona, we're not sure what you'll be up against in those corridors." Lahge cautioned, to which Fiona gave a nod and powered up her thrusters, sprinting towards the secret gate with Saburouta's Super Aestivalis closely following. Fiona landed her combat frame and activated her radars, locating the position of both the black robot and Ryoko's Aestivalis... and a few more enemies approaching from their right side!

"My, my... they're not skimping on the welcome committee, are they?" Saburouta joked, as he turned towards the attackers - another mixed group of AI-piloted Aestivalis and Sternkugels. Fiona pointed her Excellence S's claw arm to the enemy and let loose with a Prisma Beam that pierced through a Sternkugel's armor, destroying the weird-looking unmanned weapon, while Saburouta used a pair of shoulder-mounted beam rifles to take down a pair of Aestivalis. This allowed the two pilots a brief moment of respite, which they used to advance further in the colony's innards.

"Less talk, more shooting, please!" Fiona pleaded, unleashing another Prisma Beam and taking down another Mass-Produced Aestivalis. "They may be AI-piloted, but there are many of them."

"Don't worry, miss, I know what I'm doing." Saburouta answered, still cheerful but with a somewhat more serious edge to his voice. "Meanwhile, the lady in front of us is paving some road, I see..."

Fiona looked in the direction Saburouta was mentioning, only to see the flashes of the colony's unmanned guardian exploding one after the other. She nodded, and then followed Saburouta deep in the colony's interior, nimbly navigating through the narrow corridors and between the walls in an effort to keep up with the black robot and the Amaterasu ace pilot. After a few minutes of searching around, the Nadesico B pilots finally stumbles upon Ryoko's red Aestivalis, standing with barely a scratch among a pile of destroyed mechanical parts, all belonging to the colony's defense automatons.

Alarmed, the girl aggressively turned against the two newcomers, pointing her railgun at them... but relented somewhat when she saw Saburouta's Super Aestivalis. "You two... who are you, and what are you doing here?" she demanded, losing none of her edge.

Saburouta was not put off in the least, but he did make a mental note to approach that girl with a little caution... she sounded like a bit of a spitfire!

"Now, now, miss, no need to get all hasty on us..." the Jovian pilot answered. "We have come on behalf of the New Earth Federation's Fourth Fleet... we're the pilots of the Mobile Battleship Nadesico B, currently investigating the recent Boson Jumping incidents in the Hisago Plan colonies."

That caught Ryoko's attention and convinced her to drop her guard somewhat. "The... Nadesico B?" she asked, right before a communication screen, with Ruri's face upon it, popped up above her consoles. Ryoko's face lit up with relieved surprise, recognizing the young child prodigy who had been the first Nadesico's mascot during the first war, three years earlier.

"It has been some time, Lieutenant... or should I say, Captain Ryoko Subaru." Ruri greeted, the shadow of a smile on her pale face. "I see you are doing well."

"Heh... I could say the same about you, kiddo. It's been almost two years now, and it feels like an eternity..." Ryoko answered... before glancing around, seeing the wreckages of the unmanned units she, Saburouta and Fiona had destroyer. "Damn, those guys were persistent... but what could be hidden down here that they want us to stay away from so badly? And by the way, who's the chick in the red robot?" She pointed to the Excellence Striker, to which Fiona opened another comm window herself.

"The name is Fiona Grayden, and this robot I'm piloting is called Excellence S... it's a bit of a long story." Fiona answered. "For now, suffice to say that I and my friends have been rescued by the Nadesico B's crew, and we're lending them our cooperation as a manner of thanks. I'll tell you more once we get out of this mess..."

"Yeah... by the way, where has the black one disappeared to?" Ryoko answered. "There don't seem to be any more traps for now, but I think I'd better lead the way from now on."

"Thanks, that would be advisable." Ruri thanked, as Ryoko led Saburouta and Fiona in the colony's interior, in search of the mysterious invader. "The black robot infiltrating the colony at the moment... I seem to have a hunch about its pilots' intentions, and I would like to speak with the pilot to confirm them."

"Alright... By the way, Ruri... you hacked into the colony's systems, did you not?" Ryoko asked suspiciously.

Ruri nodded slowly. "Indeed. But the enemy is doing so as well, and this is an emergency. Furthermore, I was not the one who did the job. It was my vice-captain, Hari Makibi, right here beside me." she answered... much to Hari's chagrin!

"Hey, Captain!" he exclaimed. "There was no need for you to say that!". Fiona, Saburouta and even Ryoko couldn't help but chuckle a little at the young boy's embarrassed behavior... but they quickly turned serious again as their radars picked up a signal coming from the black robot that had infiltrated the colony. The supposed enemy was right in front of them... and in a few moments, the three pilots came in eye contact with the opponent, who had stopped in front of what looked like the doors of a huge hangar. A pair of cables, sneaking out of the black robot's outer chassis, had been inserted in some plugs besides the entrance.

In a moment, Ryoko flew towards the unknown opponent, always keeping her guard up in case an attack came... and tried to communicate with the shadowy pilot, managing to open a channel at her second try.

"Hey, you! Pilot of the black machine, do you copy?" Ryoko asked... then, without waiting for the mysterious person to answer the question, she continued. "Someone wants to speak to you, right now. Ruri, open the communication now."

Another screen opened up besides Ryoko, and Ruri began speaking, expertly hiding her fear and anxiety. "Greetings... I am Ruri Hoshino, captain of the Mobile Battleship Nadesico B, of the New Earth Federation's Fourth Fleet. I apologize for my aggressive methods, but it is a matter of the utmost importance. Please, do tell me... who are you?"

Finally, the mysterious pilot seemed to relent a little... and when his window opened up in front of Ruri, the young captain almost gasped in shock: even though a black visor covered the top half of the unknown man's face, there was something unbelievably familiar about him... sure, his features were somewhat harder, colder... but it was still there, as if begging to come out of that dark shell...

"Lapis. Analyze and enter password." the man answered coldly, as Lahge and Mitsuko tried to study his features better. He looked quite young overall... possibly not much older than Ryoko... but his features were a lot harsher, and something about his demeanor looked alien, almost frightening to the two operators. There was something inherently... wrong... about that guy, but Mitsuko and Lahge couldn't really put their fingers on it, and despite his dark appearence, he didn't really seem to be evil...

But there was no time to reflect on this. A puff of white smoke came from the enormous hangar, as its doors parted, revealing an incredibly long corridor that seemed to stretch off into infinity... except for a strange, disquieting light at the end of it.

"There is no time for that." the black robot's pilot went on. "Verify but yourself, if you want."

"Wh... What?" Fiona stuttered in disbelief, nervously trying to zoom in on the point of light with the Excellence's cameras. "What the heck is that... thing? It looks like... some kind of enormous box inside the petals of a flower!"

Ryoko's eyes widened in horror as she tried zooming in as well... and when she saw what the thing at the end of the tunnel was, she impulsively boosted her red Aestivalis towards the light, gritting her teeth and fighting back tears. She was all too familiar with that thing... something she wished never to see anymore!

"Ruri! Have you... have you seen THAT?" she shouted, pain and confusion evident in her voice as the Excellence, Saburouta's Super Aestivalis and the black machine followed her. "What the Hell is that... that THING doing there?"

"Please, Miss Ryoko, calm down..." Ruri pleaded... but it was clear that the discovery had demoralized her and Saburouta as well. Fiona, while still ignorant of what exactly was going on, had quickly understood that, whatever was inside that corridor, it was something that had given quite a lot of grief to the former Nadesico crew. She furrowed her brow, as she readied the Excellence S's clawed arm for anything that might have come to attack them...

"Those..." Saburouta said, examining the images on his screens. "Those are the ancient Ruins of Mars! Their form has changed somewhat... but there is no mistaking it! I was there when they had been unearthed!"

"Yeah... three years ago, when we put an end to the war between Earth and Jupiter..." Ryoko murmured. Fiona listened intently, finally gaining some more insight on what was happening. "We thought we had sent the Ruins far away, where no one could ever gain control of them again..."

"The Ruins of Mars are the Black Box that controls Boson Jumping all over the universe... it's an ancient technology that should never have been discovered." Ruri explained to Fiona, Lahge and Mitsuko. "Three years ago, the war between Earth and Jupiter was caused by the desire for possession of this mighty relic... we thought we had sent them away, but as we all can plainly see... that does not appear to be the case. So, this was the secret of the Hisago Plan."

Fiona snorted, in a mixture of annoyance and indignation. "No wonder they didn't want us to find out about this..."

"Indeed." the mysterious man at the helm of the black robot answered.

"Damn... so, Akito and Yurika's souls cannot rest in peace!" Ryoko shouted in powerless fury. "Who... who could ever do such a thing... and for what reason?"

She wasn't really expecting an answer, but it came nonetheless... in the form of a large screen blinking into existence right in front of the small group of fighters!

"This is all for the good of humanity as a whole!" exclaimed the man in the new screen... a man who seemed to be in his forties, with short, neatly cropped and combed black hair, and wearing a uniform similar to the one worn by Aritomo and his followers: a beige color all over, with red sleeves and a red male symbol drawn on the chest. His face was hard and unkind, and his beady black eyes shone with a mixture of fanaticism, hatred and evil as he glared at Fiona, Ryoko, Saburouta and the black robot's pilot.

Ryoko felt bile rising in the back of her throat, as she recognized the man. "You... It's YOU!" she practically growled.

"Miss Ryoko! You know this guy?" Fiona asked, having a very bad feeling about all of this...

"She does... and I do, too!" Saburouta answered. "This man was my superior, once... Haruki Kusakabe, former Admiral of the Jovian Army, believed dead immediately following the Earth-Jupiter war, three years ago!"

"What?" Fiona exclaimed in disbelief. The pieces of the puzzle were finally starting to come together...

 **oooooooooo**

" _Operation Fury is now underway!_ _Upgrade to condition red!_ _Upgrade to condition red!"_ began the announcement from one of the crew members of a Vosgulov-class submarine as the ZAFT/Neo Zeon fleet began their mission to force Djibril out of the Orb Union even if it meant to burn the neutral nation down for having protected Blue Cosmos' leader to do so. "Target locations are confirmed, the Seiran Estate on the main island, the Defense Headquarters and the Orb Government!"

" _Padom Team ASHs, Veale Team GOOhNs, ready for action! All machines, weapons free!"_ another announcement was made to all ZAFT and Neo Zeon pilots making the preparations to launch into action. _"Although our target is Lord Djibril, don't hold back against the Orb government either. They're LOGOS supporters. Either capture or eliminate the target as soon as possible. Try to keep civilian causalities at and the damage to the cities to a minimum."_

It didn't go unnoticed from the Archangel as Mir found herself frowning upon picking up enemy heat sources making their move. "Detecting Mobile Suit launches from the ZAFT and Neo Zeon vessels!" she alerted everyone in the bridge, getting the attention of Neumann, Murrue and Cagalli as she identified the approaching MS units. "ASHs, GOOhNs, DINNs, BABIs, GOUFs, ZAKUs!"

The news made Cagalli angry as this was starting to become the Earth Alliance's invasion of the Orb Union all over again and memories of the sacrifices her father and uncle made to ensure the Archangel, the Idaho and the Kusanagi escaped into space during the previous war flashed before her very eyes. "What about Orb?" she asked the brunette, hoping that the civilians were being made aware of it and were already evacuating as they speak. "How are they deployed? Are they evacuating?"

"There's no movement just yet…"

Frowning again, Mir turned her head to look at Cagalli in order to explain the situation. "There's no evacuation warning either" she informed as much as she hated to tell them. "Quite the opposite… The citizens haven't been told anything about what's happening off the coast of Onogoro."

Cagalli's eyes widened in even more horror, feeling as if this was all her fault for not stopping any of this from happening and she was Orb's Chief Representative too, something that gotten Amagi's attention. "Lady Cagalli…" he spoke, becoming a bit concerned the moment he saw the expression she was showing and she started to lower her head as the enemy Mobile Suits were already approaching the nation with the civilians residing in the cities shocked to see ZAFT and Neo Zeon forces within the area. Needless to say, Djibril was in the limo and caught a glimpse of one of the AMA-953 BABIs that made their way towards one of their targets.

"Damn…" he muttered, not too pleased to see that his enemies were beginning their attack and had opened fire at the Seiran Estate, causing everyone there to flee out of fear and along the way, they witnessed one of the BABIs firing the MMI-M162 Aerial Gun-Launcher in its left hand and the MA-M343 Beam Rifle in its right hand at the building.

"Orb's main island is under attack!" alerted Mir, starting to have bad memories of when her home was invaded by the Earth Alliance and how she chose to stay with the Archangel in order to do her part in protecting the nation for as much as possible… though they failed to defend their home, they eventually gathered allies by the time of the closing stages of the previous war. "It looks like they're going after the Seiran Estate!"

"Can the ship get underway yet?" asked Murrue, knowing that they shouldn't just sit by and allow the ZAFT/Neo Zeon forces to destroy Orb despite Djibril being protected by the Seiran Family as of now.

" _Definitely not!"_ Murdoch responded from within the MS Hanger, still a bit sore at the fact the Archangel hadn't fully been repaired following Operation Angel Down given that the Minvera had officially become their enemy as of that battle and they were lucky to have avoided being killed due to fortune being on their side… for now at least. _"We're nowhere near finished with the engines!"_

 **oooooooooo**

"Incoming enemy Mobile Suits!" informed one of the Orb Defense Forces' soldiers, having picked up the approaching ZAFT and Neo Zeon pilots headed towards their Defense Headquarters on Onogoro Island. "Forty signals! Coming right at us!"

None of the forces could believe what they were seeing, especially as Yuna and Unato never gave them or the civilian population any sort of warning about something like this. Meanwhile, things were not getting any better inside the Headquarters either. "Colonel Soga, the enemy attack is underway" informed one of the officers, alerting his superior of the situation that had taken place. "Why don't we have any orders yet, sir? And the evacuation?"

"Keep, trying to reach the government" informed Colonel Soga, starting to become rather angry with the Seirans for causing this to occur. "What is Seiran waiting for?"

Soon enough, Yuna entered as he seemed displeased with the attack happening when he clearly told the enemy forces that Djibril wasn't within Orb. "Why is this happening?" he asked the officers in the Headquarters, hiding the fact he was responsible for what's transpiring and was certainly looking for someone to blame. "I told them he isn't here! So why are they still attacking us?"

"Because they know you're lying, sir." Soga replied, even if it was the truth as he turned his glance towards Cagalli's intended husband, aware that Yuna's still sore over the Freedom having "kidnapped" the blonde-haired Lionness during their wedding back in the early stages of the war when the alliance with the EA was becoming official. "Why did the government choose to make that foolish statement anyway?"

"But… we did it before… when we lied about the Archangel and the Idaho…"

"We have a completely different situation here!" Soga interrupted, knowing that this was not the same case as with the Archangel and the Idaho had come under attack by the four stolen G-Project machines from Heliopolis along with their Giganos Empire allies and they were in a badly damaged state when the two ships crossed into Orb's territorial waters since Cagalli had been onboard the former at the time it occurred.

Yuna was at a loss of words as the rest of the officials in the Headquarters were just as angry at him as Soga was, and then his expression started to darken. "Just, why don't you just shut up!" he exclaimed with anger, not wanting to discus this any longer. "Come on! We have to stand firm and take up defensive positions!"

"Send out the escort fleets! Start intercepting them! Send out the Mobile Suit Teams!" he ordered, having his attention changed towards Soga as he'll deal with the Colonel later. "Don't let them get any closer!"

 **oooooooooo**

" _First and second escort fleets, set sail immediately! Intercept all enemy invasion forces!"_ came the order as the Orb Forces were started to make their move, deploying their MBF-M1 M1 Astrays and MVC-M11C Murasumes to confront the attacking ZAFT and Neo Zeon forces in an effort to protect their nation. _"All Mobile Suit Teams, commence take off! Teams 1 through 4, defend the Izanagi coast!"_

Onboard the Archangel, Cagalli decided that she had enough of just sitting by and wait for Kira, Raul and Lacus to return to Earth since they may not be able to do so on time nor will their allies from space make it to assist them. "Amagi, we should send out the Murasames" she informed much to his slight surprise.

"Yes ma'am."

"Then let's go" said Cagalli before turning her attention towards Murrue since while she no longer had the Strike Rouge, that didn't mean she couldn't do her part in fighting the enemy forces. "Captain, may I have your permission to use the Skygrasper?"

"What?!" Murrue couldn't believe what she was hearing at a time like this. Even Amagi didn't approve of such a decision since she's still young and needed to survive so she could be a proper leader as Representative Athha wanted. "Lady Cagalli…" he spoke, not knowing what else to say.

"We'll fight, even if we're the only ones" Cagalli continued as she didn't want to make the same mistakes that cost Todaka his life at Crete along with the lives of many of Orb's forces there, knowing the Defense Forces alone won't be enough to stop the ZAFT and Neo Zeon fleets.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" exclaimed Murrue, deciding to try and talk some sense into the Lioness since the blonde-haired female's father was no longer around to do so himself. "OUT THERE IN THE SKYGRASPER?!"

Unfortunately, Cagalli was already making her way towards the hanger and her glance showed the same spirit it once had before she was made Orb's leader. "I cannot let my country burn again!" she screamed, tears starting to form in her eyes as out there many of Orb's forces were dying at the hands of the combined enemy forces. "I can't just stand back and watch!"

As she took her leave, she saw that Kisaka and Morgenroete's own Erica Simmons were entering the bridge when Cagalli bumped into the dark skinned African. "Cagalli?" he asked out of surprise at the way she's acting.

Amagi immediately saluted to the superior officer that came to greet them. "Colonel Kisaka" he said, hoping that the bodyguard would convince Cagalli not to throw her life away.

"Ms. Erica…"

"Let's go, Amagi!" said Cagalli, not wanting to stay any longer since Orb's chances of surviving would decrease even more than ever the more time they wasted doing nothing. "I'm using that fighter, even if it's without a Striker Pack!"

As she was about to leave, Kisaka placed his hands on her shoulders in an effort to dissuade her from taking a course of action that could get her killed due to her foolishness. "Cagalli, just wait!" he said only for the blonde-haired girl to push his arms off of her.

"I'm not waiting anymore!" she lashed, only for him to place his hands back onto her shoulders since there was a reason for why he wouldn't allow her to go out there in the Skygrasper.

"I want you to come with me!" he spoke, trying to get her to see where he was getting at because it might make her rethink her decision and no matter how hard he tried, she was using every bit of strength to get out of the grip.

"I can't!" Cagalli snapped. "If Orb's about to be plunged into war, I'd rather throw myself into the flames than do nothing at all!"

Kisaka smiled to himself; there were some things about Cagalli that would never change at all and her personality being one of them. "I know you'd do it, that's why you have to come with me" he spoke in a rather reassuring tone.

"Shut up and let go!"

Erica decided to have her say on the matter, especially as she might know something that'll help get Cagall to calm down enough to listen to them. "Just calm down, you can go out there if you want to… but we'd like you to hear Lord Uzumi's message before you go" she spoke, getting a surprised expression on Cagalli's face as her answer.

"My father's message?" she asked the older woman, still at a loss of words over the matter of her father having left a message before he sacrificed his life.

Nodding her head, Erica confirmed that she was speaking the truth. "Yes, his last will" she continued, piping the young Chief Representative's interest a bit and wondered what kind of message it might be.

 **oooooooooo**

Kisaka and Erica led Cagalli and Amagi to a secret hanger underneath the Orb Union's mainland, the door was sealed shut since it was to ensure whatever was inside remained hidden from public eye until the time came. "There are words etched on the plate here" Erica informed the younger female, revealing what was etched onto the controls which looked like they hadn't been used for a very long time. "Read them."

Cagalli slowly wiped off some of the dust and dirt that was on the controls and saw the words that Erica was referring to. "A wish… that the day when this door need be opened never arrives…" she read, just moments before the massive hanger doors slowly began to open and Erica began to read the entire message as they did so. "The day that this door need be opened, in other words… the day when Orb was in danger of being scorched by war again… That's what he meant."

As the small group entered the hanger, Cagalli soon stopped in her tracks as something caught her eye… and Erica made her way to the switch that would turn the lights on. "Here it is, the legacy of Lord Uzumi sealed away until now" she spoke before turning the flood lights on and revealing that whatever Cagalli saw was none other than a shining golden Mobile Suit which closely resembled the Hyaku Shiki used by Char (aka Quattro) during the Gryps War standing within the large hanger.

Cagalli shielded her eyes a bit due to the brightness but managed to open them again as she was in awe at the new Mobile Suit that was shown before her. "A golden Mobile Suit?" asked Amagi in complete disbelief.

Remaining silent, all Cagalli could do was stare at the Mobile Suit as she didn't know what to say right now. _"Cagalli…"_ she could've sworn she heard the voice of her deceased father Uzumi Nara Athha but then realized that it wasn't just her hearing things.

"It's my father…"

" _Should the day come when you have a need for additional power, consider this gift my answer to that need. There are many things I wasn't able to teach you myself, but if you have an open heart, you can learn everything you ever need from those around you."_ The Lion of Orb could be heard within the secret hanger as it seemed the day that the door would be opened had finally arrived and how the Mobile Suit that stood before them looked powerful and majestic, almost giving a palpable aura of power. _"From those who love and support you, therefore I can only give you what you see now before you. Power is whatever one makes of it; foolish are those who hope for it in excess when equally foolish are those who resent it for no reason. Think of it as a sword for protection. If you need this now then take it, if it will help you walk the right path then it is yours."_

Tears slowly started to form in Cagalli's eyes as she reflected on what he said and took in every word since she wished she had showed better care towards him when he was alive. "Thank you, Father…" she spoke, starting to find herself crying and even Amagi couldn't fight back the urge to shed his own tears.

" _However, I had hoped the day would never come when this door would be opened… if it has been opened, then these words may be in vain. Then my dear Cagalli, I wish you a long and happy life…"_

Erica and Kisaka remained silent, watching as Cagalli couldn't help but cry over the fact that her father wanted her to have this Mobile Suit should the day the door being opened came and now that it had come, she could only hope it will be enough to save the nation from meeting the same fate it did in the previous war. "Father…." she sobbed as Kisaka approached and knelt down towards the girl, understanding how she must be feeling. "Oh Father…"

"Cagalli… Will you take the Akatsuki?" he asked her, knowing that it was the only machine she could use in order to ensure Orb's continued existence, surprising her at the fact he knew what the Mobile Suit's name was.

"The Akatsuki?"

She was even more shocked than ever as she turned her attention towards the MS in question, then back towards Kisaka as she needed to find the right words to say in order to give him a proper answer and slowly nodded. "Yes" she spoke her decision.

 **oooooooooo**

The Systems within the cockpit of the ORB-01 Akatsuki came to life and Cagalli was already donning her pink pilot suit as she prepared herself for battle. The familiar words **G** eneral **U** nilateral **N** eruo-Link **D** ispersive **A** utonamic **M** aneuver appeared on the main screen, it made sense seeing as how Morgenroete assisted the Earth Alliance in manufacturing the Archangel and the G-Weapons in the last war.

Fortunately the Akatsuki already had its Type 72D5 beam rifle, Type 73J2 prototype twin beam saber and Model 71 defense shield equipped so Cagalli didn't need to have them mounted onto the new Mobile Suit but it was currently being outfitted with the "Owashii" sky pack being mounted on the back. The pack in question had 2 Type 73F modified high-energy beam cannons which could help for the battle taking place. _"ORB-01… Akatsuki… System activated!"_ came Erica's voice as the golden MS was preparing itself to depart from the secret hanger and assist its brethren in the ensuring conflict happening within the neutral nation. "Go ahead, launch!"

"Cagalli Yula Athha, Akatsuki taking off!"

The Owashi Akatsuki launched from the hanger and took to the skies as it entered the battlefield. And not a moment too soon as it was clear Orb was in a losing battle against the join forces of ZAFT and Neo Zeon which mean it's a matter of time before the nation met the same fate as the previous war. "They've broken through Baramatsubara's secondary defense line!" alerted one of the officers at the headquarters and Yuna found himself.

"The defensive lines of the main island are collapsing!" added another, starting to feel that they stood no chance of winning this or avenging Orb's defeat at the hands of the Alliance in the first war. "We've need to regroup or we're going to be wiped out!"

"Don't stand there, do it!" yelled Yuna, not liking the results as it would become a repeat of what occurred at Darnelles and Crete."Whatever it takes, now hurry up!"

"We're waiting for you to give us your orders!" responded Soga, knowing they can't do anything unless Yuna himself commanded them to.

"That's ridiculous!" muttered the purple-haired male in disbelief only for a snickering grin to be formed on his face as he glared at Soga. "So that means if we lose it'll be your fault!"

 **oooooooooo**

" _Okay, it's good to go, Neumann!"_ came Murdoch's voice, informing Neumann that the Archangel was now ready to head out into battle at the very least. _"Start her up!"_

"Roger that!" Neumann replied with a nod, and then Athrun Zala despite his injured state came into the bridge donning an Orb Union military uniform like the rest of the Archangel crew as while he couldn't assist them as a pilot he could at least help man the ship.

"Athrun!"

Mir was surprised along with Chandra to see Athrun out of bed, let alone in the Orb Union's military uniform no less. "It's not as bad as it looks" he reassured them, hiding the fact that he's still banged up from nearly being killed at the hands of Shinn. "I'm well enough to sit down in the CIC."

Needless to say, Mir and Chandra were silent since he shouldn't be moving around at all after what transpired during his and Meyrin's attempt to escape from Gibraltar. Hopefully him being in the CIC wouldn't be too much of a problem at the very least.

As this was going on, Murrue cut the rope that bounded Neo's hands together, feeling it was for the best that he'd be set free since the fighting was about to get worse and they weren't allowed to have prisoners within the nation anyway much like how Mir chose to free Dearka from the brig before the Earth Alliance's invasion in the last war. "What's this?" he asked out of surprise, especially as he was to be given the Skygrasper as his means of departing the nation since it wouldn't do them any good at this point. "Why are you doing this?"

"Well… your injuries are healed right?" asked Murrue, wanting to make certain that he was well enough to pilot the fighter right now despite having been an enemy pilot. "If you stay here you'll just get hurt again."

Neo didn't sound too convinced by the answer, though he had to admit that the female captain was kinda cute and secretly wished they met under better circumstances. "The Skygrasper, it's just a fighter but… you can go ahead and use it" she continued with a sad smile on her face.

"What?"

Murrue started to shed tears of her own; these tears were of sadness as every time she saw Neo's face… it reminded her of the man whom she loved giving his life to save the Archangel from the Dominion's Lohengrin Cannon then she took her leave and Neo was starting to become a bit concerned. "You're really not Mu…" she spoke softly, but enough for him to hear her speak. "You're not him aren't you?"

Without another word, she ran off in tears and the two Orb soldiers accompanying her followed and Neo remained completely silent as he didn't know what to make of any of this at all.

 **oooooooooo**

As one ZGMF-2000 GOUF Ignited pilot had destroyed an M1 Astray that tried to get in his way, he failed to notice that three beam rifle shots came his way, by the time he did and was about to retaliate, one pierced right through the cockpit. "Reinforcements?!" he exclaimed in shock with his cockpit sparking before a second shot finished the machine off.

The Akatsuki was accompanied by a small squadron of Murasumes, among them being Waltfeld's old golden colored unit now piloted by Kisaka as they prepared to assist the rest of the Orb forces in an effort to even the odds against the enemy. "We need to rebuild their defensive lines if we are to hold them off!" he announced and Cagalli nodded in agreement, knowing that there was one person she wanted to deal with personally for causing this mess in the first place.

"We'll take over the defense headquarters and then reorganize them!" she informed, turning her attention towards the Murasume forces that escorted her. "I want one team come with me! The rest of you hold the line!"

"Roger!" responded one of the Murasume pilots before the Akatsuki headed towards the enemy Mobile Suits alongside three Orb units as it's about time she started to act as a real leader and make a difference in the conflict.

Meanwhile in the Defense Headquarters, the officers were surprised to pick up allied Mobile Suits coming to their aid and the dark-haired man turned towards Soga. "Colonel Soga, fresh reinforcements seemed to have arrived off shore" he alerted much to the Colonel's and Yuna's surprise at hearing reinforcements coming their way.

"Fresh troops?"

"Their identification codes say they're machines from the Takemikazuchi!" he informed the Colonel again which made the two men even more surprised than ever as they remembered that ship was destroyed at the hands of the Sword Impulse way back at the Battle of Crete during the war.

"Are you sure?" asked Soga in even more shock at hearing the news.

"Also, picking up an unknown Mobile Suit!" said the red-haired female officer, having discovered the Akatsuki being among the reinforcements helping the defenders against the ZAFT and Neo Zeon forces attacking them. "It's leading the Murasames straight towards us."

Soga and Yuna were at a loss of words, even more so Yuna than Soga as the Akatsuki came up on screen. "Uh, what is that?" wondered the purple-haired Seiran, praying that the unknown machine wasn't an enemy that pretended to be a friendly.

"A golden Mobile Suit?"

Fortunately it wasn't the case as Cagalli's voice was heard from communications, hoping that everyone at the defense headquarters could hear her. _"This is the daughter of Uzumi Nara Athha, Cagalli Yula Athha!"_ she hailed the headquarters, with everyone at a loss of words at hearing the voice though Yuna heard it before at Darnelles and Crete and previously convinced the Takemikazuchi that the one piloting the Aile Strike Rouge was an imposter trying to trick them into thinking it was Cagalli. _"Defense Headquarters, do you copy? Some of you may have doubts because of my sudden return; can you put the Commander-In-Chief on please?"_

After a few seconds, almost a minute, of silence, Yuna immediately responded to the voice as if he was happy to see his believed fiancé again when in actuality, he was trying to save his own hide. "Cagalli, Cagalli, Cagalli! Yes! You've come to rescue me! You're my honey! Oh thank heavens… you are my Goddess!" he cried out via the speaker, looking as if he was relieved to know that she had come to their aid. "The Commander-In-Chief? Surprise it's me!"

" _Yuna…"_ she spoke with displeasure in her voice as the officers saw on screen the Akatsuki firing its beam rifle at the enemy ZAFT and Neo Zeon forces and destroying a DINN that came its way, the blonde-haired Chief Representative remembered how the purple-haired bastard tricked Todaka and the rest of the Orb Forces into thinking she wasn't really Cagalli during Darnelles and Crete, something that contributed to Todaka's death at the hands of the Impulse in the latter. " _Are you saying that recognize me to be Cagalli Yula Athha, Chief Representative of the Orb Union?"_

"Of course, of course, of course! There's no doubt in my mind who you are!" answered Yuna with a nod, relieved that Cagalli was aiding them in their struggle and helping save Orb then turned to everyone present with him. "It's the real Cagalli alright!"

That was all she needed to hear from Yuna as she spoke again. _"Then I use my authority to issue the following order…"_ she decided to reveal what she had in store for him upon hearing that he confirmed to the defense headquarters that it's truly her. _"Soldiers, for the crimes of treason, I want you to arrest and restrain Yuna Roma Seiran."_

The moment he heard that order made his eyes widen in complete shock, wondering what she was thinking as the soldiers were more than happy to comply with it. "It's an order, we're taking you into custody!" came the voice of Soga as he and the rest of the officers had enough of Yuna, even going as far as punching the purple-haired Seiran in the face, sending him landing on his rear.

"Argh! No, wait! You can't do this to me!" Yuna yelled in panic, but he never got a chance to finish his sentence as the soldiers jumped onto him and placed him under arrest.

 **oooooooooo**

As the battle raged on, the three Murasumes that accompanied the Akatsuki fired their beam rifles, destroying three BABIs that were on the cliff and neither the ZAFT nor Neo Zeon forces could believe what they were seeing. First the Orb Defense Forces were on the brink of defeat but with the appearance of reinforcements, the tide had started to change and especially as two BABIs attempted to use their respective MGX-2237 "Ardor" Multi-Phase Beam Cannons to destroy the gold Mobile Suit, scoring a direct hit only for the beams to be reflected right back at them… resulting in their own destruction instead.

"Get Yuna to cough up Djibril's whereabouts!" ordered Cagalli, glad that the armor-coated "Yata-no-kagami" anti-beam defensive reflective system was working perfectly in this battle though that didn't mean she should rely on it for protecting her against all attacks as there were limits to what it could reflect. "Unato's in the parliament house, get him on the line! Orb Forces, as of this moment, I am taking command, is that clear?"

At the Defense Headquarters, the officers all saluted to Cagalli, glad to have her back and were given much needed relief in this time of need as she fired the modified high-energy beam cannons and the beam rifle, in a Full-Burst matter, destroying three GOUF Igniteds at once. "All remaining Astray teams gather at Takemitsugata. Deploy two teams of Murasames to give them air-cover! We must protect our homeland! Everyone lend me your strength!"

All M1 Astray and Murasume pilots were relieved at hearing Cagalli's voice, as were the crew members of the Orb vessels that participated in the ensuring battle. However, the ZAFT and Neo Zeon forces weren't pleased to see their forces being held back. "The Donov team is taking heavy damage, they're falling back!" reported a crew member of one of the Vosgulov-class submarines in disbelief. "We're being pushed back at Coastal Area 12!"

"Huh?" wondered the captain of the submarine as this just didn't add up at all given the circumstances and the strength in numbers that should've ended in their favor. "What is going on here? They were on the verge of collapse a few moments ago!"

"Yes, sir."

His attention turned towards his XO as it seemed that they need to push their assault even harder in order to successfully capture or eliminate Djibril. "Let's end in another couple of teams of GOUFs" he ordered, returning his attention to the screen. "This is one nation we'd like to see fold. Once and for all."

"Sir" began the XO, wanting to tell him about the arrival of reinforcements that could benefit to their cause.

"Minerva at 8 o clock, sir" one of the crew members informed, much to their relief since the ship and its crew were well known for their efforts especially in Operation Angel Down and Operation Ragnarok so their assistance in taking Djibril and by extension Orb down would be a much needed breath of fresh air so to speak. "Distance 20."

 **oooooooooo**

A lone squadron of ZAFT Mobile Suits was advancing unhindered, blowing past the defenders of Orb and forcing a group of Murasames to back away, getting closer and closer to the command center.

"This is bad... we cannot let the ZAFT soldiers take control of this area!" one of the Murasame pilots exclaimed, firing his beam rifle to take down as attacking BABI.

"There are too many of them... we cannot hold them off for much longer!" another soldier exclaimed, barely flying away from a GOUF Ignited that was swinging its electrified rod at him, only to find himself in the way of another enemy, a DINN pointing its weapon at him and getting ready to fire. The Murasame pilot froze in horror, and was already seeing his life flash in front of his eyes...

But it was not to be, as a flash of white light quickly sped through the enemy DINN... and a split second later, the Mobile Suit was neatly bisected at the chest and exploded in a huge fireball, causing the other ZAFT attackers to back away in panic as they saw who had taken down their comrade - standing there,floating in midair above the battlefield like nothing happened, was a young man, about in his early twenties, with somewhat messy dark blue hair, wearing a strange sort of armor that made him look like a cross between a Mobile Suit and a human - it had two large white wings on the young man's back, along with a white chestplate, abdomen and shoulder pads, and white-and-blue arm and leg protections. He was also holding a large light blue beam saber in his right hand, no doubt the weapon he had used to destroy the DINN.

Everyone was shocked at the appearence of this strange armored young man that was able to fly like a real Mobile Suit... but soon enough, the ZAFT forces found themselves under heavy attack as four more attackers, all of them young women wearing the same sort of futuristic armor as the young man, opened fire on the invaders! Standing at the front of the group was a pretty blonde girl in a bulky-looking orange armor holding a pair of large rifles in the mechanical arms of her futuristic suit, which she was using to blast away at the opposition; then, right after that, came another young woman with long silver hair and a black eye patch on her left eye, decked in a black mecha armor with large shoulder pads, holding a purple beam saber in her left hand and a gigantic railgun in the other; another blonde young woman who was piloting a blue mecha armor with overlarge leg armor, several drone-controlled cannons floating in the air above her even as she was holding a large laser rifle; and finally, a pretty young woman with sky-blue hair, looking somewhat older than the others, whose armor was light blue and somewhat skimpy, with two transparent wing-like shields on both sides and holding a gigantic weapon looking like a horseman's lance in both hands.

"What? IS Suits?" a shocked ZAFT soldier exclaimed as the five young people flew in front of the ZAFT invading force and placed themselves in a defensive formation. "How can that be, I heard the IS Academy had been destroyed when Dekim took over!"

"That may be true..." the young man answered sadly as the four girls fell upon the ZAFT invading force, taking them down with shocking skill and power. A BABI tried to crush the young man in its huge hand, but once again, the young man swung his sword, tearing the Mobile Suit's limb to pieces of jagged metal! "But we couldn't just stay put and watch as you picked on our friends. And we will not let ZAFT do whatever they want." Ichika Orimura, pilot of the Byakushiki IS suit, nodded to the Orb forces and smiled, before turning back to the ZAFT invaders and raising his Yukihira Type-2 laser blade in a gesture of challenge.

"As former pupils of the IS Academy, we will honor our comrades and defend Orb." the silver-haired girl with the eyepatch, Laura Bodewig, declared. An enemy BABI tried to attack her, raising its fist and then swinging it down to smash her, but she managed to see the attack coming and dodged with great ease, before countering with an unexpected weapon - a bunch of wire-guided daggers that extended from her black IS, the Schwarzer Regen, and struck the BABI, cutting its armor to pieces with shocking ease! A blast of energy from the railgun mounted on her right shoulder blasted a hole through the Mobile Suit, sending it hurtling to its doom on the ground below.

"Amazing! Did you see that?" an Orb soldier exclaimed. "Those... those IS suits are really amazing... they can hold their own even against Mobile Suits!"

The blue IS suit, the Blue Tears piloted by Cecilia Alcott, sent out its Interceptor Bits and unleashed a series of attacks that struck the ZAFT invaders from different directions at the same time; and at the same time, the blond girl piloting the orange IS suit, Charlotte Dunois, executed a flawless evasive maneuver among several DINNs, before firing her two Vent Assault Rifles, destroying two enemies. Her Rafale Revive Custom II retreated slightly, firing a few more shots in order to keep the remaining Mobile Suits at bay, and Charlotte nodded and turned to the last of the IS squad, the Mysterious Lady piloted by Tatenashi "Katana" Sarashiki, the strongest IS pilot the Academy had ever produced.

"Alright, class representative!" Charlotte exclaimed confidently. "The enemy is in range!"

"Alright, guys! Leave the rest to me!" Tatenashi answered with a wink and a cat-like smile. The Mysterious Lady glowed for a moment... and soon after, five clones of the Russian IS suit and its pilot appeared and flew at the ZAFT Mobile Suits with their lances outstretched! Their speed was too great for the enemy to handle... and a few moments later, the Mysterious Lady's water clones ran the enemies through, destroying them even as the other IS pilots picked off the rest! The Byakushiki's laser blade sliced a DINN and a BABI in half with a single powerful slash, causing the rest of the aerial squad to scatter in confusion.

"Damn... we need to retreat!" one of the few ZAFT pilots left exclaimed. "These little guys are slaughtering us! Let's let those FAITH big shots take care of them!"

"Al... Alright!" another ZAFT soldier exclaimed, as the aerial team beat a hasty retreat, and the IS units stood in front of the remaining Orb Mobile Suits, making sure their allies were safe. As soon as the ZAFT attackers were not in sight any more, Ichika breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the Orb pilots.

"You guys alright? We have come here on orders from Commander Chiyufu Orimura... my sister... to assist Orb in their defense." Ichika explained. "As former pupils of the IS Academy... we will lend our assistance and our firepower to Orb!"

"We apologize for the sudden intervention. But there was no time for formalities, much as I regret it." Cecilia Alcott, the pretty blonde lady piloting the Blue Tears, continued. "Anyway, we trust that we will be able to cooperate to repel this invasion."

"We will not let Orb fall in ZAFT's hands, don't worry about that." Charlotte went on. The Orb soldiers breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that they could count on some serious extra firepower on their side... but it was short-lived as Laura received a trasmission, and quickly warned the rest of the team.

"Presence of the Minerva has been confirmed among ZAFT reinforcements." the German IS representative (or, rather, representative of what once was Germany) said in her matter-of-fact tone. "They are approaching quickly. It is certain that the ZAFT aces, Shinn Asuka and Rey Za Burrel, will take part in this assault."

"Just as we thought." Tatenashi answered with a nod. "Come on, everyone, we'll have to give it all we've got on this one!"

"Right!" Ichika, Cecilia, Laura and Charlotte answered in unison, before moving to assist the rest of the Orb forces in the defense of their home country...

 **oooooooooo**

The Minerva was slowly approaching the Orb Union, Shinn, Rey and Luna were all already in their pilot suits as they awaited orders to launch into the fray. "Anything on Djibril?" wondered the pilot of the Destiny with a darkened expression on his face, not even bothering looking at the current outcome of the battle taking place.

"It seems they haven't found him yet" answered Rey with a stern look, knowing failure is not an option when it came for an important mission like this. "Apparently they're putting up quite a fight down there."

Luna took a brief glance at Shinn, a bit worried for her boyfriend given that he originated from Orb until his family was killed during the Earth Alliance's invasion which led to him enlisting into the ZAFT military afterwards in the first place. "Shinn!" she called out, hoping that he'd hear her.

"There's no need for all three of us to sortie" informed Rey, thinking that it'll at least take one of them to deal with the enemy right there and then. "I'll go out alone."

"No, don't…" Shinn spoke up, stopping Rey from going any further as he knew what he needed to do as of now. "I'll go out."

Hearing this made Lunamaria gasp in shock. "But Shinn…" she spoke only to find herself unable to find the right words to say as images of his family... of Stellar... of Heine… of all those Shinn had lost flashed before Shinn's eyes, and the young ZAFT ace had to grit his teeth and clench his fists to hold his anger and grief at bay.

"Yes, you don't have to."

"No, I said I'm going!" Shinn interrupted Rey before he could finish his sentence as he got up from his seat and made his way towards the MS hanger with a new resolve on his mind now that the nation he once lived in had officially made themselves allies of LOGOS by protecting a murderous man like Djibril. _If anyone's gonna destroy Orb, it's gonna be me…_

 **oooooooooo**

After finishing the preparations and checking that all passengers were on board, the last shuttle from Lahsa had taken off, just barely avoiding the asteroid bearing down on the city. Among its passengers, Hathaway, Quess and Adenauer were seated in a front row, besides a window from which it was possible to see Luna-5 beginning its descent towards Earth, an ominous red aura flaring around it as the friction with the atmosphere burned off some of its parts. It was a frightening sight, and the only thing keeping the passengers from panicking was the knowledge that, at this point, they were too far to be hit by the asteroid's debris...

At least until, for some unclear reason, Quess raised her hand, trying to get the shuttle pilot's attention. A strange feeling of dread and alarm coursing through her mind, the young teenager called out at the top of her lungs. "Pilot! Pilot! A ball of fire is coming this way! You have to get away from here!"

"Be silent." her father sternly warned, as Hathaway turned to the girl in confusion... and one second later, a burning piece for debris, detached from Luna-5 and wandering away from the asteroid's main body, bore down on the shuttle! Quess' warning had managed to barely save the passengers, as the shuttle pilot immediately made the vehicle dive to its right, the burning wreckage missing it by only a few meters! The people began screaming and calling out in panic as they were violently thrown but the sudden movement... and even Quess was lifted from her seat and tossed aside, only to get promptly saved by Hathaway grabbing her and cushioning her fall. Adenauer, on the other hand, managed to remain seated... but the sudden danger completely washed away all of his previous attitude, and the man put his hands on his head and cowered pathetically in his seat, without even sparing a glance to his daughter.

"Aaaaah!" he screamed, before slumping down, as pale as snow. "P-Please... God... save me..."

Quess and Hathaway quickly recomposed themselves, and the turquoise-haired girl breathed a sigh of relief before thanking Hathaway for saving her from a bad fall. Then, as the two stood up, Quess spared a disgusted glance at the trembling form of Adenauer Paraya, the man who claimed to be her father, and yet, even at that moment, could not be bothered to even check and see how she was doing.

 _"Tch... this man is only thinking of himself..."_ Quess thought to herself. _"I am ashamed that such a person is my father..."_

 **oooooooooo**

One hour later, from a train getting away at top speed from Lahsa, Mirai Noah and her daughter Cheimin were looking in wonder and horror at the massive form of Luna-5 slamming upon Lahsa, quickly reducing the city, along with the New Federation headquarters and all those who had failed to get away in time, to burning rubble. The sky was dark, angry red flashing through it as a huge fireball rose up in the air, and a blinding light bathed everything for miles around.

The disaster was of unimaginable proportions... and Mirai and Cheimin knew all too well that this was only the start of Neo Zeon's plan to plunge the world into nuclear winter.

Char Aznable had declared war on Earth.

 **oooooooooo**

In a place kept secret to everyone, others were about to make their move after seeing just how serious the situation was...

"We have confirmed impact on Lahsa..." Colonel Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa, captain and creator of the Tuatha De Danaan submarine as well as an high-ranking officer in the anti-terrorist organization called Mithril, announced as she turned her steel-grey eyes away from the large screen she and her subordinates were watching. "I am afraid Londo Bell was unable to stop the drop in time. Lahsa has been obliterated."

The Mithril operators reunited in that room began murmuring amongst themselves, discouraged by the bad news. "Damn..." 2nd Lieutenant Melissa Mao, a young woman with short black hair and an athletic figure, muttered in anger and dismay. "Do we have word about the evacuation? About how many civilians managed to get away?"

Tessa shook her head solemnly. "Communication with the region is impossible. All the channels have been cut off." she answered. "We must wait for more accurate reports from our allies. However, we must also prepare to intervene in Londo Bell's support. As of now, our allies are severely understaffed and outgunned by Neo Zeon and ZAFT, and it appears that the Nadesico B has run into complications as well."

"Which means, that we will soon get to regroup." the blond Sergeant Kurz Weber, another of Mithril's best Arm Slave pilots as well as their best sniper, commented as he gave one of his knowing smiles to his comrade sitting beside him - a young, darker-skinned man in his early twenties with a serious demeanor, a scarred face and messy black hair. "And that, of course, means you get to see Chidori-chan again, huh? Hehehee... Sousuke, you lucky dog!"

Sousuke Sagara, pilot of the ARX-008 Laevatein, the strongest Arm Slave unit Mithril could ever count on, remained serious and all business, simply nodding at Tessa's report. "Roger that. We will begin preparing immediately." he answered, knowing that the next few days would be crucial to stopping Neo Zeon's plans.

This was going to be one of the toughest battles Mithril would ever take part in...

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Quite a few things happened in this chapter, did they not? Not only did we see that Terminal failed to stop the Luna-5 drop, and our heroes were badly beaten by their sworn rivals and to make matters worse, ZAFT and Neo Zeon have started launching an all out attack on the Orb Union just to get Djibril... but we also saw what was really going on with the Hisago Plan, and how the Martian Successors, led by Haruki Kusakabe - an old enemy of the first Nadesico crew - had manipulated events behind the scenes. Sure, there are things that are not completely clear as of now, but be patient, and you will get your explanations!**

 **And before you ask, yes, Cagalli will pilot again! I am one of the many who were disappointed by how she was mistreated in the canon Gundam SEED Destiny...**

 **And as you can see, I had the Infinite Stratos and Full Metal Panic crew join the fray as well. Hopefully they will be able to make a difference in the crisis to come.**

 **In the next chapter, the battle for the Amaterasu colony and Operation Fury enter their next stages, as the Martian Successors unveil a dreadful weapon and both Fiona and the Nadesico crew make an even more horrifying discovery...**

 **See you later!**


	7. The Goddess of Mars Awakens!

**Super Robot Taisen S Revamped**

 **oooooooooo**

 **Chapter 7 - The Goddess Of Mars Awakens! Fierce Battle at Orb!  
**

In the interior of the Amaterasu colony, in front of such an unbelievable discovery and the reappearance of one of the Earth Federation's most fierce enemies, most of the pilots had remained positively stunned, and they could do nothing more than stare with restrained anger at the figure of Haruki Kusakabe almost taunting them with his very presence. So intent was Ryoko in staring at the old enemy reappearing in front of her, as if she wanted to reach through the screen and strangle him with her bare hands that she almost didn't realize she was in danger before the pilot of the black robot warned her.

"Take care, Ryoko!" the mysterious man exclaimed, making the ace pilot jump in her seat. Then, her reflexes honed by years of both simulated and real fighting, Ryoko swerved her Aestivalis to her left... just in time to avoid a new enemy that seemed to have literally appeared from thin air: a squat, legless beige combat robot armed with a staff, its appearance somewhat similar to that of a Buddhist monk, that was speeding towards her red Aestivalis! The Nadesico B's crew scattered, as more robots of the same type appeared and dashed towards them, attacking with chilling coordination with quick thrusts of their staffs. Fiona cursed and blocked an attack with the Excellence S's clawed arm... before rearing the arm back and delivering a strong punch to the offending opponent, sending it reeling! Unfortunately, a Distortion Field encircling the enemy prevented it from taking more damage, and the monk-like robot was quickly on the offensive again.

As he parried another opponent's strikes, Saburouta spared his radar a quick glance, and could not hide some worry when he saw that there were seven enemies in all... six of the unidentified monk-type robots, and a larger, more threatening robot: its overall form was reminiscent of the other six, down right to the weapon with which it was attacking, but it was red all over, it did have legs, and its head was somewhat more elongated...

"This is crazy! How can these guys do such moves?" Ryoko asked to no-one in particular, after getting some distance from two of the smaller beige robots who were trying to double-team her. Despite their seeming small size, her opponents were moving with unnerving speed and grace, performing maneuver the ace pilot never even thought possible for a humanoid weapon. The black robot floated beside her and quickly targeted one of the enemies with a red laser beam, knocking it off balance and almost sending it hurtling towards one of the walls...

"This has got nothing to do with you. Get away from here." the pilot with the black visor cautioned Ryoko, as Saburouta and Fiona slowly backed up against a wall to prevent the agile monk-robots from sneaking up from behind on them. The red leader, who was floating above the battle, seemed to be uninterested in entering the fray, at least for the moment, and appeared to be watching his minions and their opponent duke it out with grim satisfaction...

"Well, what do you know; this _does_ have something to do with me!" Ryoko protested. She had never been the kind of person who liked to get upstaged in battle, anyway...

A cruel, triumphant laugh, coming from the red robot standing on the sidelines, broke the argument between the hot-headed girl and the ice-cold individual... and both of them glanced upwards to see the leader of the monk-robots skillfully twirl its staff in its hands. Its pilot opened a communication with both Ryoko and the mysterious pilot of the black robot... and the girl was shocked to see that at the helm of the red robot was a strange man in silver battle armor and a matching helmet, his (its?) face a mask of insanity, a cold smirk playing on his (its?) thin lips, and mismatched eyes - the iris was blood-red on the left eye, giving him (it?) a bloodthirsty countenance... while the other iris was a pure, unsettling white which made the actual pupil look like a small black pinhead. If there was something wrong about the black robot's pilot, this went double for this guy as well...

Then, he (it?) spoke, with a voice dripping with cruelty.

"In one night... to the heavenly fields extends the spiral of the universe." the silver-clad individual said, creating a chilling echo... and then, the red robot grabbed its battle staff and prepared to swoop down to attack. "Die in front of your woman."

"Woman...? What is that guy..." Ryoko asked herself... before noticing that, for the first time since they had met, the black robot's pilot had noticeably changed expression, going from a cold neutrality to an expression of rage and distress. Some disquieting shining lines were appearing on his cheeks and chin, denouncing the young man as someone - something - more than human...

Saburouta pointed to the ruins in alarm. "I think we're going to get an explanation soon... will you guys look at that!" the Jovian ace pilot shouted, as he tried to defend himself from a skillfully coordinated attack from two of the monk-robots. Both factions immediately broke up the combat, as the Nadesico B's crew watched with fear and awe as the mysterious "box" slowly opened up, like the petals of an overlarge flower...

And a few seconds later, the "box" had completely opened, revealing something that chilled Fiona to the bone! Inside the eldritch artifact was a female figure with flowing hair, whose face was permanently frozen in an expression of serene sleep, surrounded by an unnatural white-grey light... but even though she didn't recognize her, Ryoko, Ruri and the black robot's pilot certainly did!

That woman was, without a shadow of a doubt, Yurika Misumaru, the captain of the first Nadesico-class battleship and Ruri's adoptive mother, believed dead in a tragic accident two years before... and now she was there, in front of some of her former crew members, although certainly not the way they remembered her!

"That's... Yurika..." Ruri murmured, her face contorting for a rare moment in shock. "Then... it was just as I thought..."

"If that's Yurika, then..." Ryoko deduced, turning her head to the black robot's pilot, whose identity was now all too obvious to the female ace pilot. "Then... you must be... Akito? Akito Tenkawa... I mean, Akito Misumaru? It's you, isn't it?"

The young man's dread-inducing silence was enough of an affirmative answer for Ryoko, who shuddered in horror. What had happened to Akito and Yurika in those last two years? Ryoko remembered Akito as a likeable idealistic fool who was opposed to war and violence, and liked watching anime... and Yurika as a happy-go-lucky ditz who could nonetheless perform incredible feats of strategy and leadership. And now... now they had been turned into tragic parodies of what they had once been! What... what could have changed them so much?

There was no time to reminisce, as the silver-armored man piloting the red robot gave a signal to his wingmen, who immediately scattered and came bearing down on Fiona and the Nadesico B's crew! "You've had your reunion... now, Akito Tenkawa, die in your misery!" The man exclaimed, as suddently all of his minions launched a massive, coordinated assault, striking the Excellence S and the Aestivalis with their staffs! The red robot itself took flight and attacked Akito's black robot, forcing the younger man on the defensive!

"Hokushin!" Akito shouted furiously, as his black robot shot a double red beam at his opponent, narrowly missing him. "So this is what you and your boss were aiming for, right? The Hisago Plan... it was all just a front to hide your operations!"

The man, now identified as Hokushin, smirked nastily in return. "Quite correct, Akito Tenkawa. But... this will not avail you in the least now! You should know already that your Blackserena is no match with my Yatenkou! And in the meantime, your little friends will get slaughtered by my men's Shishikis!" he sneered hatefully, before delivering a harsh whack to the black robot with his battle staff, leaving a fairly large indentation. The Blackserena, Akito's robot, went spiralling out of control for a second, but quickly regained stability and launched itself at the Yatenkou, expanding its Distortion Field in an attempt to smash the red robot against the walls...

In the meantime, Saburouta, Fiona and Ryoko were having their hands full fighting Hokushin's wingmen - and were quickly finding themselves at a disadvantage! Not only were they outnumbered two to one, but their opponents were also horrifically skilled pilots, and their robots moved with unsusceptible agility, almost as if they were ignoring inertia and the laws of physics. Fiona would not have been surprised if it turned out those guys had undergone some kind of artificial enhancement to become that powerful...

"Ugh... don't think you can make light of me! **Crusher Claw!** " the red-haired girl growled, as she reared back her Excellence S's clawed arm. A bright white aura surrounded the heavy limb, and Fiona thrust forward, catching one of Hokushin's men off guard and striking his Shishiki with incredible power! The legless robot was slammed against the corridor's wall, but his companion quickly flew to attack Fiona as she stepped back and tried to get in position once again. Luckily, the girl was quick enough to raise the Excellence S's clawed arm and block the incoming attack, even though she was forced back by the power of the blow.

"These guys are something else... they aren't just your cookie-cutter thugs!" Ryoko exclaimed, trying to evade the assault of two other Shishiki units. Saburouta tried to intervene - maybe for the ulterior motive of scoring some points with the brave leader of the Lion's Sickle - but he didn't even get the time to aim before the two Shishikis attacking him were speeding towards him at breakneck speed, forcing him to focus on the two of them once again. It wasn't an even fight at all: the Nadesico B's crew were struggling to stay alive, while Hokushin and his men seemed to be merely toying with them.

"It's no use, why can't you understand that?" Hokushin sneered. "Your feeble attempts at opposing the new order were doomed before you even attempted! Learn your foolishness!"

The Yatenkou raised its staff, and released a small volley of multicolored lasers from its top, but the Blackserena expanded its Distortion Field and deflected all of them, before literally disappearing from Hokushin's line of sight and reappearing only a few metres beside him, its tip already aglow with a concentrated Distortion Field. The black robot then sped towards the Yatenkou, trying to impale it on its tip, but Hokushin reacted far too quickly and, with another of his cruel smirks, Boson Jumped out of the way as well. Then, as the Blackserena recovered from the failed attack, the Yatenkou hit once again with its staff and began ferociously whaling on it. Luckily for Akito, his robot was a state-of-the-art model, and managed to withstand the onslaught, but still, it was all too clear who the better fighter was...

Fiona parried a staff strike from one of the Shishikis and quickly glanced around herself, in an attempt to assess the situation. Not looking good... there were two Shishikis for each member of the Nadesico B's crew, and Hokushin was running circles around Akito and his Blackserena. Unless something could be done soon, those freaks of nature would soon have gotten the upper hand...

 **oooooooooo**

A group of Martian Successors, armed with machine guns and led by Aritomo and Kusakabe himself, marched in Commodore Azuma's former office, being greeted with an affable smile and a wave of the hand by a very unconcerned Yoshio Yamasaki, who seemed to have remained there just to greet the invaders. In fact, when the leaders of the terrorist group came, he simply stood up from his chair and waved at them, as if greeting a pair of old friends.

"Why, congratulations, Admiral Kusakabe... Vice-Admiral Shinjo... looks like the takeover has been successful and all our plans are falling into place!" Yamasaki said, still wearing that cheerful, almost smug smile of his.

As Kusakabe smiled evilly and walked to what was Azuma's seat just a few hours before, Aritomo nodded and their honor guards took their positions besides their leaders. "Indeed they have, professor Yamasaki. Thank you for your efforts as well... had it not been for your efficiency as a mole and your brilliant mind, our plan would not have seen the light of the day."

"Now, we'll broadcast this message to the whole colony: the control of the Hisago Plan is as of now being passed over to us... to the Martian Successors!" Kusakabe exclaimed.

Aritomo activated a comm device on Azuma's desk, and immediately, more screens appeared all over the colony, startling the few remaining civilians trapped inside. "At once, Admiral!" the young second-in-command answered, before starting to broadcast a speech to everyone still inside Amaterasu. "From this moment on we, the Martian Successors, are retaking control of the Amaterasu colony... and of all colonies related to the Hisago Plan! We kindly request anyone who does not wish to die to leave immediately. No reprisals will be taken against them. Make your choice, then. Surrender and leave with your life, or oppose us and be destroyed."

Needless to say, that announcement had all the remaining population of the colony fleeing for their lives, and additional shuttles were launched from Amaterasu only a few moments later...

 **oooooooooo**

A flashing red light invaded the corridors in which the Nadesico B's crew and Hokushin's men were fighting, and the Martian Successors' elite assassins immediately interrupted their attacks. With a low chuckle, Hokushin floated away from the Blackserena, gloating about his opponents' powerlessness. "Hehehehee... Count yourself lucky, Akito Tenkawa, for it seems like the Goddess of Mars has her eyes on you! We'll just content ourselves with what we've gotten for now!" he exclaimed, as the dangerous red light began invading the whole colony, accompanied by the sounds of explosions all around the team. Ryoko glared angrily around herself, looking for a way to possibly save Yurika despite everything turning against them... but Ruri's orders, coming from the communication screen in front of her, contradicted her.

"The situation has become untenable as of now." Ruri stated, with incredible detachment despite the fact that her foster parents were right in front of her. "We can do nothing but retreat. We'll have better chances in the future."

"Wh... What?" Ryoko muttered in shock and disbelief. "We... We can't leave just yet! Akito and Yurika are right in front of us! We cannot leave them to their fate!"

"We have no other choice, Captain Subaru." Ruri answered, and this time, Ryoko actually saw concern and regret in the teenaged captain's deep golden eyes, despite the fact that she was always so good at not showing her emotions...

Fiona, too, was at first hesitant to leave Yurika to her fate, especially something that sounded as horrible as being hooked up to that artifact for reasons unknown to her, and she was quite dismayed that Ruri was willing to leave her adopted parents to this fate... but the truth was, at the moment they were no match for Hokushin and those other overpowered freaks of nature. Remaining to fight would have been sheer suicide, and there was no choice but to retreat.

"Listen to her orders!" Akito exclaimed, driving his Blackserena between the Nadesico B's pilots and Hokushin's minions, all too willing to be a human shield in order for the others to get away. "I will hold them back for now. You get away from this place."

"And what will you do? Can you get away from here?" Saburouta asked, skeptically. Akito's displeased frown told him that there really was no time to argue, and the Jovian pilot turned his Super Aestivalis away as Hokushin and his men began Bosom Jumping away, and the Blackserena stood in the center of the collapsing structure, seemingly not doing anything to save itself...

As the Excellence S and the two damaged Aestivalis accelerated as much as they could towards the exit of the colony, Ryoko, Saburouta and Fiona kept glancing backwards, hoping against hope to see the black robot following at a short distance or Bosom Jumping near them... but neither happened, and all they could do was get back to the Nadesico B at top speed, dodging the groups of Mass Produced Aestivalis and Sternkugels that were already beginning to swarm around them...

"Damn... damn!" Ryoko cursed. "Just when we had found them again! This... this can't end like this! It just can't!"

Fiona breathed in relief as the colony's forbidden corridor came to an end, allowing the Aestivalis and the Excellence S to fly into space and head back to their mothership... but the red-haired pilot knew that this was only the beginning of a battle that was sure to leave far too many bodies behind...

"Martian Successors... you will not get away with this!" she swore silently to herself. "You will pay for your crimes... I'll make sure of it!"

 **oooooooooo**

As the colony's corridor began collapsing around him, and the folds of the Martian artifact closed like petals of a wilting flower, once again hiding Yurika from the outside world, Akito and his Blackserena stood floating there, seemingly indifferent to the destruction going on. His eyes, obscured by the black visor that covered the top half of his face, stared with an unreadable expression at the eldritch prison containing his wife... and a moment later, his lips formed a name...

"Lapis." he said.

A soft, childish female voice echoed in his mind, a voice devoid of emotions and with a lonely, forlorn edge to it. " _Yes, Akito._ " the mysterious girl named Lapis telepathically droned, and the Blackserena was surrounded by a shining aura for a few seconds, before disappearing, only leaving a ruined corridor behind.

 **oooooooooo**

Back on Earth, things were not getting any better.

Operation Fury was starting to take a turn of events due to the Akatsuki, the Murasames from the Takemikazuchi and the IS units joining the fray in fending off the ZAFT and Neo Zeon forces attacking Orb.

" _Destiny, standby for launch."_ began the announcement from Abbey Windsor, communications controller for the Minerva's complement of Mobile Suits and replacement crewmember onboard the Transatmospheric Battleship following the defection and presumed death of Athrun and Meyrin. _"Confirming all systems activated."_

The ZGMF-X42S Destiny Gundam, one of the most powerful weapons available to the Neo Zeon/ZAFT diumvirate, prepared to head out into battle… armed with its MA-BAR73/S High-Energy Beam Rifle, shield, M2000GX High-Energy Long-Rang Beam Cannon, two RQM60F "Flash-Edge 2" Beam Boomerangs and MMI-714 "Arondight" Beam Sword.

Inside the cockpit, the words GUNNERY UNITED NUCLEAR-DUETRION ADVANCED MANEUVER SYSTEM appeared on the main screen as Shinn got ready to fight against the Chairman's enemies. _"Initiating launch sequence. Hatch opened. Catapult online. Course clear. Destiny, go ahead, launch."_ Shinn heard Abbey giving him the okay to sortie into action and nodded, his irises flashed a dangerous shade of red.

"Shinn Asuka, Destiny… launching!"

The Minerva's catapult activated, the sudden acceleration forcing Shinn on his seat... before he was launched into battle!

Talia and the Minerva's XO Arthur Trine were very surprised to see the Destiny launching by itself, without any assistance from Rey or Lunamaria. "What?!" exclaimed the Minerva's Captain in disbelief at what she bore witness to, Trine sharing the same expression his superior officer had on her face. "It's Shinn!"

"But… why did he go?" Trine wondered, turning his chair towards the screen as Rey made contact with everyone on the bridge since he wanted to explain why the raven-haired male redcoat turned FAITH member had chosen to launch into action alone.

" _It was his decision, ma'am."_ the blond ZAFT ace pilot explained.

"But still…" began Talia, not knowing what to say. It was clear that the hotheaded pilot wanted to do something in order to make a difference and ensure that Djibril is either captured or killed… but Rey interrupted before she could continue.

" _Shinn made that decision own his own authority as a FAITH member, and I approved it on the same basis._ " he reminded Talia, even though she herself was also with FAITH much like the two of them and couldn't blame her for feeling this way. _"I hope that it explains everything, Captain."_

Talia stood silent, taking in the information. She could only hope that Shinn wouldn't do anything too reckless as being part of FAITH was a lot of responsibility.

 **oooooooooo**

"Damn them! Damn them all to Hell!" Lord Djibril cursed, using an arm to shield himself from some debris falling as he and some of his henchmen ran through a corridor in the attempt to reach the escape shuttle with which the leader of LOGOS was to escape to space. "Curse those damn space monsters! They had to ruin everything! But it's not over yet! I won't be caught in this place! I will sing a requiem for that damn Gilbert Durandal and all of his accursed kind!"

"Sir, we've almost reached the shuttle!" a LOGOS soldier said as he gunned down an Orb soldier who was trying to stand in their way. Lord Djibril grinned slightly at the sight of the fallen soldier and nodded, eagerly anticipating the revenge he would soon obtain. "There should be no more obstacles on our way."

"Very good." Lord Djibril answered as they turned a corner and found themselves in a wide corridor, heading towards the spaceport. "Then let's get to the shuttle and get the Hell out of Orb. Gilbert Durandal will regret ever defying me! They all will!"

"I don't think so."

Lord Djibril and his bodyguards had a start as a firm female voice resonated in the corrisdor, and a tall, elegant figure dressed in black placed herself between the LOGOS leader and the escape route, walking in from a side entrance. After a moment of surprise, Djibril angrily glared at the newcomer: she was a tall woman in her mid-to-late twenties, with long black hair tied in a neat ponytail at the back of her head and flowing down her back, dressed conservatively in a black suit and skirt over a white shirt, long dark grey stockings with black shoes, and a dark green necktie. Her skin was pale, which only made her dark hair and her deep chestnut eyes stand out all the more, and she had a confident, focused expression on her face as she held a polished katana in her right hand.

"Lord Djibril, the leader of LOGOS. You are responsible for many atrocities against my homeland, Orb, and numerous other countries." the woman said calmly yet threateningly. "For that, I will see justice done."

The bodyguards quickly turned their rifles on her. "Hold it right there! Who are you?" they demanded. "You do not think you can handle us with that piece of metal, right?"

A small smile played on the woman's lips. "I wouldn't bet against me."

"Damn you... I have no time for your nonsense! Shoot that bitch!" Lord Djibril raged, pointing his fnger at the swordswoman. His bodyguards were just waiting for the order and quickly took aim...

...but the woman moved away at the last possible moment, executing a fluid slash with her sword arm as the bullets began flying! A series of shots rang through the air, and the LOGOS soldiers looked on in horror as their opponent simply sliced through the bullets and quickly closed in, moving as though she was simply gliding through the corridor. The katana flashed forward, and one of the soldiers grunted in pain and fell to the ground in a pool of blood, a large fatal slash across his chest. Another one yelped in fear and tried to take aim again, but the woman had already gotten close and sliced his gun neatly in half, leaving him defenseless!

"What?" a third soldier exclaimed in horror, as he and his remaining companion realized just who they were actually dealing with. Lord Djibril barely had time to register what was going on, before the dark-haired woman closed on him, and her katana's razor-sharp blade was only half an inch away from his neck.

"Now, leave." she addressed the three surviving soldiers, pulling a shocked Lord Djibril close and threatening to slit his throat if they tried to do anything funny. "I believe you have better chances to find mercy with the Orb citizens than with me."

"W-wait!" the cowardly LOGOS leader stammered, trying to sound threatening but quickly giving up when the woman raised her blade ever so slightly. "Ugh... you d-damn... c-cowards! You... you can't leave me here! I... I pay you for protecting me!"

"You can keep your money! Our hides have no price!" one of the soldiers answered.

"Besides... you could never pay us enough to go against Chiyufu Orimura!" another one exclaimed, finally identifying the mysterious woman. The terrified soldiers dropped their weapons and ran for their lives, leaving their boss and their fallen comrade there as Lord Djibril snarled and sputtered in powerless rage.

"D-Damn you... C-Chiyufu Orimura..." he stammered in a mixture of anger and terror, sweating bullets as the blade of Chiyufu's katana shone close to his neck. "W-What do you... hope to gain? You... you will pay for this! I... I am the leader of LOGOS!"

"Yes, I knew that. And you're the reason why Orb is attacking my country." she answered with a steely gaze. "And don't think you can threaten us. At this point, everyone knows who you are and what you've done. Face it, Lord Djibril. You have lost everything."

"No! That will never happen!" he protested. "You won't get away with that, you'll see! I will see you dead for this foolishness!"

Chiyufu was not ging to put up with Djibril's petty rage any more. She pulled the LOGOS leader closer and raised the katana to the point where its tip pricked Djibril's neck, causing a small rivulet of blood to come out. "One more word from you, and I'll forget my idea of taking you alive." she threatened. "Now, come. You are about to face justice for your crimes."

Keeping her blade close to Lord Djibril's neck, Chiyufu led the LOGOS leader back through the escape route he had tried to take, and back to where he had been hiding until then. She glanced up for just one moment, wishing good luck to her younger brother and his comrades who were fighting out there.

 **oooooooooo**

Meanwhile, the Archangel was preparing to launch into battle itself and was currently underwater as it made the final preparations to leave the docks to assist the defenders in any way it can.

"Open main gate." ordered Murrue, having already returned to the ship in order to give the crew the commands to head out into action.

"Opening main gate."

"Release restraining arms" she commanded as the restraining arms that kept the Archangel from moving slowly came off and the warship soon got ready to make its departure. "Engines at 20%. Proceed slowly."

Watching from a distance, Erica and a small group of technicians bore witness to the Archangel slowly leaving the underwater hanger and was going to head into action via the secret tunnel in an effort to catch the ZAFT and Neo Zeon forces by surprise…. once outside, the white vessel began to rise up from the ocean and up to the surface.

Nearby, Neo stood next to the Skygrasper that had been given to him and saw the Archangel making its way into the battlefield which made him even more concerned for the brown-haired female Orb Captain as he still had to admit, she was pretty cute ever since they've first met one another onboard the ship and in the bridge, Murrue gave Neo and the Skygrasper a small glimpse with sadness forming on her face.

All of a sudden… a single Murasume was shot down and destroyed as the Destiny had just beaten the Archangel to the battlefield and a male pilot had a shocked expression on his face the moment he bore witness to the enemy Mobile Suit. "What the hell?!" he exclaimed before another shot claimed his life and destroyed his Murasume.

" _Lady Cagalli, please be careful!"_ alerted one of the Orb forces, causing the Oowashi Akatsuki to turn to right as Cagalli had a bad feeling that things were about to get much worse before they get better. _"ZAFT reinforcements!"_

It didn't take long before she noticed the ZAFT Mobile Suit that was joining the fray against Orb and she scowled when she recognized what it was. "That one…" she spoke, gritting her teeth as memories of the Destiny using one of its MMI-X340 "Palma Fiocina" Palm Beam Cannons to take down one of LOGOs GFAS-X1 Destroy Gundams during ZAFT and Neo Zeon's attack on Heaven's base flashed before her very eyes, knowing that she's going to need to stop it and headed off to where the Destiny was taking down the defenders using its beam rifle.

Shinn gritted his teeth, the prospect of once again facing Orb forces in combat making his blood boil and he suddenly noticed the Akatsuki headed his way. Without a word, Cagalli fired the Akatsuki's own beam rifle at the ZAFT Mobile Suit in order to divert its attention away from the defenders, and Shin immediately countered with one of the two MX2351 "Solidus Fulgor" Beam Shield Generators on the back of the Destiny's hands, causing a powerful beam shield to be formed to protect him from the enemy beam fire.

On the Archangel, Murrue's face turned serious as she and the rest of the crew needed to take action against the ZAFT and Neo Zeon forces, fast. "Course 2-0. Archangel, go to full speed" she commanded and the white battleship was ready to take the fight to the enemy.

 **oooooooooo**

In the meantime, the atmosphere on board the Ral Kairam wasn't exactly much more relaxed...

"Damn it!" Amuro cursed, slamming his fist on a nearby wall in an act of frustration. "How shameful... and I could do nothing but watch as Luna-5 fell to Earth..."

Judau sighed angrily. "There was nothing any of us could do... That damn red MS was too much for us to handle, and we were pinned down by the enemy."

Bright and Roux were more composed, but even they were visibly demoralized by how the Neo Zeon and ZAFT forces had gotten the better of them... and the captain of the Ral Kairam sighed before giving an answer. "Well, we already knew our Mobile Suits couldn't do much against the new Neo Zeon and ZAFT models... I'm afraid our only real chance, at this point, is to head to Anaheim's lunar headquarters. The Nu Gundam should be almost completed by now."

Having calmed down after venting his frustration for a second, Amuro nodded. It was really lucky that they could count on Terminal and its allies in such a difficult moment. And yet, the fact that the Neo Zeon and ZAFT alliance could pull off such an audacious move in so little time was cause for alarm. "I know, I know... but it's not just that. Both the colonies and PLANTs had been thoroughly inspected not a few months ago, so why couldn't we find any lead pointing to Char and Durandal pulling off something like that?"

"Unfortunately, the simple fact of the matter is that Neo Zeon and ZAFT have a lot of colonial support..." Judau intervened, sighing wistfully as he looked outside at the vastness of space. "Both Char and Durandal know very well how to appeal to them, and the New Earth Federation's policies regarding Spacenoids are not exactly doing us any favors. Also don't get me started on Djibril or LOGOS and how they feel about Coordinators."

"That's pretty much it." Roux commented, catching up with the other two pilots and the Ral Kairam's captain. "The colonies and PLANTs did not want us to interfere in the Neo Zeon / ZAFT alliance's plans, and did everything they could to keep their preparations secret and hide their support. We were woefully unprepared for this... and the recent Hisago Plan incidents did not help either. Then there's this Destiny Plan we've been informed about, whatever it is."

"As of now, the New Earth Federation is embroiled in a war on two fronts, which is never a good thing..." Amuro reflected, as he and the other pilots stepped into the hangars, where the squad of mechanics led by Astonage Mendoza, an old acquaintance of Bright who had been serving under him since the days of the AEUG, when the war against the Titans and the first Neo Zeon uprising was underway. All were working overtime to repair the damage done to the aces' Mobile Suits, but under those conditions, without having the necessary spare parts; it was a difficult task at best.

Astonage, a meek-looking man with somewhat messy dark brown hair and a slim face with a bit of a stubble on it, wiped his forehead before he noticed the captain and the three pilots approaching and greeting him. "Oh, Captain Noah! I apologize, I was so intent on my work that I didn't see you coming..." he quickly apologized.

With a wave of his hand, Bright told him that there was no need for such formalities. "It's okay, Astonage." he answered, knowing how passionate the Ral Kairam's chief engineer could be about his work. "So, how are our Mobile Suits? Are they salvageable?"

Astonage glanced upwards at the damaged machines, on which the other technicians were toiling. "Difficult to say, Captain. For the Re-GZ, it will take some time but it can be done, same with the ZZ Gundam and the Gundam MK-3. For now, we have to do with what we have..."

"We understand." Roux answered. "Do what you can... and thank you for your work!"

Astonage smiled kindly. "Not at all, my pleasure." he answered. "Then... if it's alright with you, I should get back to my work. We don't know when another emergency might come up, and we're better off having our suits repaired sooner rather than later."

Amuro nodded. "Please do. Thanks, Astonage, we would be in even hotter water if it weren't for you." he said, before the group began walking away, leaving the engineers to do their job and heading for the corridor once again.

Sighing, Judau sat by the nearby window and gave a look of concern at Bright, who stopped by the same window to glance at the Earth. He couldn't help but have sympathy for the veteran captain's plight - his wife and his children were still on Earth, near Lahsa, where Luna-5 was predicted to hit. And he still hadn't received word of their safety, yet he was being stoic and self-controlled for the sake of all those who served under him. It must have been a very stressful situation for him...

 **oooooooooo**

Back on Earth, the Orb forces were still fighting their absolute hardest against the attacking ZAFT and Neo Zeon forces that were pinning them down. While the arrival of allied forces were helping, it wasn't saying much, as the Minerva had also come into action along with one of its ace pilots.

" _Thank you for coming all this way, Captain Gladys"_ came the male captain commanding one of the Vosgulov-class submarines with some relief at seeing the famed battleship from Armory-One coming to their aid at a time like this.

"Not at all" responded Talia, hoping that the sooner they capture or terminate Djibril, the sooner they can return to Gibraltar as she still couldn't understand how Shinn used his authority as a FAITH member to head out on his own without any assistance though part of her hoped the operation was already over by now. "Now what about the target? Have we been able to apprehend him?"

" _Not yet"_ the captain replied to her with a scowl on his face as he saw first-hand that Orb was starting to make its comeback despite being on the verge of defeat in the early stage of the entire operation. _"At first they were completely falling apart but now they seemed to have recovered somewhat. I guess they don't plan on going down without a fight."_

This got Trine's attention, all while Talia gave a silent sigh. _"The Minerva will take position on our left flank and support the Brit Team"_ the male captain continued, informing her and the rest of the Minerva crew on what they need to do.

"Roger that."

The male captain saluted and ended communication as Talia gave the bridge crew the order on what they're to do in order to ensure that their operation is successful. "Port 10. Reduce engine output. Prepare for water landing." she commanded, knowing there was no other alternative available to them. "We may not be on the frontlines but stay alert."

With that being said, the Minerva began to slowly land onto the ocean while at the same time made its way into the battle. "Maintain anti-air surveillance."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The Akatsuki continued to fire its beam rifle at the Destiny as Cagalli was already well aware of what the enemy ZAFT Mobile Suit was capable of and Shinn evaded another shot aimed at him, causing the blonde-haired female Lioness to grit her teeth in anger, aiming the beam rifle and both of the "Oowashi" Pack's beam cannons at the opposing Gundam."We can't let this guy through, he's tough!" she said through communications before firing both the beam rifle and beam cannons in a similar matter to how the Freedom would use its Full-Burst Mode.

Shinn evaded one of the beam cannon blasts and the beam rifle shot, then used the beam shield to block the remaining blast, rather annoyed at how the Gundam he's fighting against was giving him a bit of a hard time. "What the hell is this thing?!" he wondered.

Taking aim with the Long-Range Beam Cannon, he proceeded with firing his own beam blast right at the Akatsuki... and Cagalli's eyes widened a little as she allowed her machine to be hit by the attack, resulting in the "Yata-no-Kagami" Anti-beam Defensive Reflection System to reflect it right back at Shinn! The ZAFT ace pilot gasped in surprise and barely evaded his own blast thanks to the Destiny's speed.

"It deflected the beam?" he muttered, firing the beam rifle once again, only to have the shot deflected away upon it making contact with the Akatsuki's face. "Fine then…"

Deciding to take his fight up-close and personal, he armed himself with the "Arondight" and almost immediately afterwards, a pair of multicolored wings of light erupted from the Destiny's back, giving it the appearance of some sort of avenging angel... and the mighty Gundam swooped to attack the gold Mobile Suit. Cagalli realized that this was going to be her most difficult fight and wondered what to do when a male voice was heard. _"Lady Cagalli!"_ she turned to see that six Murasumes were entering the fray and fired their Type 72 Kai "Ikazuchi" Beam rifles while in their Mobile Armor mode.

Shinn evaded the attack with ease and moved over one of the Orb mass-production Mobile Suits, then proceeded to slice one of the Murasumes in half before the pilot could even have time to react. Three of them transformed into MS mode and again fired their beam rifles at the Destiny but the same result occurred with Shinn evading the hellfire of beams before getting ready to make its own move.

"Those things are going down!" he declared as he cut through another Murasume that was in its MA mode and one of the Orb pilots was horrified at the sight of what they're dealing with only for his Murasume and one that flew next to it to be destroyed, the latter by a beam shot and the former when the "Arondight" was used to cut it down the middle with the internals and circuits of the MS briefly being shown as both halves exploded afterwards.

Biting her lower lip, Cagalli grew even more enraged as memories of her comrades Mayura, Asagi and Juri dying before her eyes flashed before her eyes. Taking out the Experimental Twin Beam Saber stored on the left side armor, she activated both sides and charged in at the Destiny, causing both Mobile Suits to come at one another with their respective melee weapons in their position.

"It looks like you're the leader!" yelled Shinn as both his machine and Cagalli's clashed with one another using their blades. "Though you don't really have the skill."

Gritting her teeth, she began to push back against the Destiny even harder, willing to fight to the bitter end…

 **oooooooooo**

The IS squad stopped abruptly as a group of enemies placed themselves in their way, attempting to stop Ichika and the girls from interfering with the ZAFT aces' battle. With a sudden swerve to the side, Ichika managed to avoid a slash from a beam saber and countered with his Yukihira energy blade, slicing off a BABI's arm before tearing into its armor and forcing the pilot to eject before the Mobile Suit went up in flames. The Schwarzer Regen's railgun fired a powerful shot that obliterated an approaching ZAKU Warrior, while the Mysterious Lady easily kept a group of miscellaneous attackers at bay with its water-clones.

"We're pinned here, everyone!" Cecilia exclaimed, sending out her Blue Tears' drones to shoot down several ZAFT Mobile Suits, but other enemies were coming from all directions, forcing the elegant British representative to hastily evade. "Ah! This is troublesome... if this keeps up, we will be unable to reach Princess Cagalli and offer her our aid."

"The Destiny Gundam is engaging her Akatsuki at the moment..." Charlotte said, taking a look at her Rafale Revive's screens as she fended off a BABI and a GOUF Ignited. "And I'm afraid she won't last much longer, unless someone intervenes."

"Then let's try to evade these guys and get there!" Ichika proposed, using his Yukihira to deflect another slash before cutting down the attacking Mobile Suit. Satisfied with how he was holding up, the young man was surprised when a transmission came through to his Byakushiki's systems, one coming from his older sister and commanding officer, Chiyufu Orimura! "Huh? Big sister... I mean, commander Orimura is contacting us! Yes? Yes, commander Orimura? This is pilot Ichika Orimura speaking! We have a situation here - a group of ZAFT Mobile suits is interfering with our attempts to support Princess Cagalli!"

On the screen in front of him appeared the familiar face of Chiyufu Orimura, the strongest IS pilot ever to live, a small smile showing as she nodded at her younger brother. " _It's okay, pilot Orimura. Try to stall them a little, that's all we need._ " she answered. " _I have captured Lord Djibril, the leader of LOGOS, and am currently guarding him. Just buy us some time as we get Lord Djibril under custody._ "

"Alright!" Ichika answered with a smile, happy that they had good news at last. "We'll keep the enemy occupied here!"

"Ichika! I can see some more reinforcements coming!" Tatenashi exclaimed, pointing at two streaks of light flying towards the place where Cagalli was battling. A silver Mobile Suit-like humanoid robot was flying alongside two majestic Gundam that looked like more powerful and better armed versions of the legendary Freedom and Justice Gundam. "Looks like the tide of the battle is turning in our favor, huh?"

"More hostiles incoming. Extreme care is needed." Laura warned her comrades, using her IS unit's wire-guided blades to hack apart an attacking DINN. Another one fired its tube launcher at the silver-haired girl, who managed to dodge at the last moment, but her IS' shields were still slightly depleted from a stray hit. "Ugh... be careful, the enemy seems to be fighting more fiercely now!"

"Be careful, Laura!" Charlotte exclaimed as she fired at the attacking DINN in order ro help her friend, while the two new units closed in on their target...

 **oooooooooo**

"Onogoro Island! We're getting a visual now!" reported Mir from communications, giving a small frown as she picked up something not too far away from their location and the image of Onogoro Island and the battle taking place there came up on the main screen much to everyone's dismay.

"Checking enemy thermal patterns" added Chandra, immediately detecting a few enemy vessels nearby and worked quickly on identifying what they were. "Two Vosgulov-class, four Wellenberg-class, eight Isarco-class and… the Minerva!"

Murrue was surprised to hear the Minerva's name being mentioned."The Minerva?" she asked in complete dismay. "I thought it was in Gibraltar. It came all this way for Djibril?"

 **oooooooooo**

In the meantime, the Minerva had ended up discovering the Archangel was among the forces fighting to protect the Orb Union and as expected, the crew of the ZAFT battleship showed their own share of shock to see it again. "The Archangel?" asked Trine at a loss of words.

Even Talia wasn't sure on what to say, especially as they thought they had managed to destroy the famed "Legged Ship" during their last encounter in Operation Angel Down. "That's her. She didn't sink after all" she remarked, having no idea on how the Archangel survived the blast from the QZX-1 "Tannhauser" Position Blaster Cannon but knew that they'll have to fight against it again now that they know it's still around.

 **oooooooooo**

"The Akatsuki, it's engaging an enemy Mobile Suit at two o'clock!" reported Mir with a frown, causing the rest of the bridge crew to be even more dumbfounded as they soon bore witness to the Akatsuki taking on the Destiny by itself and Athrun was shocked at seeing who Cagalli was currently up against.

"The Destiny! Shinn!"

The fight was not looking well for Cagalli as the Destiny used its "Arondight" to cut right through the Experimental Defensive Shield as Cagalli barely managed to dodge. Cagalli managed to get some distance... though with the superior speed of the Destiny, she wasn't going to last much longer as Shinn, with a yell, brought out one of the "Flash-Edge 2" Beam Boomerangs and tossed it right at her, resulting in the left arm up to the elbow to be sliced off in the process but the Destiny soon threw its second boomerang...

Cagalli opened her eyes and saw that the two Beam Boomerangs were coming right at here, with no way to dodge them on time. "Cagalli!" screamed Athrun, knowing that as soon as the beam boomerangs hit their target… the girl he loved would meet her end and there wasn't anything that could save her.

Or so he thought when all of a sudden, the Minerva picked up something on the radar approaching from the depths of outer space at top speed. "There's an incoming object from space, ma'am!" reported one of the crew members, being the first to alert Talia on what they've just detected.

"A Mobile Suit? No, it's too fast!"

"What is it?" wondered Talia, having a feeling that it might be additional reinforcements coming to their enemy's aid...  
And sure enough, she thought right as three mechas were making their way towards the planet through atmospheric re-entry, one was of course the Excellence Flier piloted by Raul, the other was the Strike Freedom piloted by Kira and the third was a MS that resembled the Justice, which was a red-purple color all over, with a pair of oversized "wings" and white trimming on its legs and feet, looked like a melee machine, with numerous beam sabers hoisted in various parts of its red-purple body, and a much larger Fatum-1 flyer than the original.

The ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom held the hand of its companion the ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice as Kira showed a look of determination and without saying a word, he let go of the Infinite Justice's hand once the three mechas had safely reached the Earth and immediately activated the MMI-M15E "Xiphias 3" Railguns, firing them to destroy both "Flash-Edge 2" Beam Boomerangs before they could even reach the Akatsuki.

Closing her eyes, Cagalli screamed as the two Beam Boomerangs exploded in front of her and Shinn was shocked to see the saviour that intervened at the very last second. "What?" he asked in disbelief and the alarms went off as the Strike Freedom swooped down at him, realizing who the new enemy pilot was. "It's him!"

Remaining silent, Kira unsheathed his MA-M02G "Super Lacerta" Beam Sabers and slashed at the Destiny, causing Shinn to quickly evade possibly being sliced in half by one of the slashes aimed at him. Even the crews of both the Archangel and the Minerva were shocked by the sight of the Strike Freedom. "Is that?" Luna asked Rey, hoping her eyes were simply playing jokes on her while Rey didn't say a word.

The Strike Freedom, still armed with its beam sabers, stood in front of the Akatsuki in a protective stance while Shinn couldn't believe what he was seeing. "The Freedom?! but it… can't be!" he barely muttered a word, remembering how he managed to destroy the Freedom in Operation Angel Down using the tricks he and Rey learned following the Battle of Berlin and yet, here it was, the very Mobile Suit that had taken everything in his life… his family… Stellar… and now, was looking better than ever and returned to take more! But Shinn was not about to let that happen. "It's back!"

"Huh?" asked Cagalli, immediately realizing that her brother had returned just in time alongside Raul and yet she didn't have a clue on who was operating the Infinite Justice. "Kira… is that you?"

"Yep, that's him! Even better than before!" Raul confirmed with a thumbs-up. "Sorry for the delay. Looks like we'll have to do some cleanup around here..." He looked around as several ZAFT Mobile Suits began to close in, attempting to give some support to Shinn. "Kira, looks like we'll have quite a fight on our hands. You take care of the enemy ace, I'll keep everyone else from getting to you."

"Can you do it, Raul?" Kira asked, taking a look at the enemy in front of them.

Raul nodded in assurance. "Don't worry, Kira, I've got this. You take care of the little punk here!" he answered.

"Alright, Raul... Ms. Murrue, please pick up Lacus" Kira quickly made contact with the Archangel as the Infinite Justice, holding onto its MA-M1911 High-energy Beam Rifle in its right hand and the MX2002 Beam Carry Shield on its left hand, inside the red-purple Gundam's cockpit was none other than Lacus Clyne, who donned a pink ZAFT pilot suit, still new to piloting an actual MS and Kira turned his attention towards the Akatsuki. "I'll take care of things here. Head for Defense Headquarters, Cagalli."

"Gotcha." she answered. The Akatsuki left the Strike Freedom to fight against the Destiny, knowing that her brother would be able to handle the enemy Gundam better than she did. Plus, she had a bone to pick with a certain purple-haired Seiran for causing this attack to happen in the first place...

The Destiny responded by activating its "Wings of Light" again and swooped to attack once again, this time against his not so new opponent. "Dammit!" he growled as the two Mobile Suits faced each other in combat, both being evenly matched thanks to their respective the Voiture Lumiere Propulsion Systems increasing their speed.

"Kira is sure giving it all he's got.. but I'm not going to sit back and let him get all the spotlight!" Raul told himself. He quickly took aim with the Excellence-F's Distract Rifle, and fired a large beam of glowing red plasma that tore through several opponents, causing them to explode in midair... then, as an enemy tried to stab him with its beam saber, Raul raised the Excellence-F's Plasma Sword, intercepting the enemy's blade in a shower of electric sparks! He pushed the enemy away, causing it to get imbalanced, and quickly placed a lethal thrust in the enemy BABI's chest, tearing it apart!

Meanwhile the Infinite Justice made its way towards the Archangel, which opened its Starboard hatch in order to allow the new MS to enter...

 **oooooooooo**

"Our ship's moving out front." informed Talia, letting the captain of the Vosgulov-class know that they're about ready to take immediate action against the enemy. "Is that alright with you?"

"Uh, of course…"

The captain of the submarine carrier immediately signed out and Talia knew that they needed to take out the Archangel if they were to succeed in accomplishing their mission to take Djibril out of the Orb Union. "Raise ship immediately." she commanded, having no other choice but to fight the white warship once more. "Starboard 10! We are engaging the Archangel."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The Minerva rose from the ocean and approached the Archangel, preparing its weapons in order to destroy the warship but this time, the opposing crew was ready to retaliate and properly defend itself from the ZAFT battleship. "Here comes the Minerva." alerted Murrue as she felt as if this was confronting the Dominion at the Battle of Mendel and the Second Battle of Jachin Due all over again. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

As both ships come towards one another, they got their respective weapons ready and were going to fire as soon as their XOs gave the command. "Launchers one and ten, load Dispar. Tristans and Isdole, target the Archangel!" ordered Trine, awaiting the right moment to attack as the M10 "Isolde" 42 cm Triple Cannon, the ten Missile Launchers and the two XM47 "Tristan" Dual Beam Cannons came online.

"Load all stern missile launchers with Wombats. Gottfrieds and Valiants, target the Minerva!" Amagi gave the command to the crew of the Archangel as they revealed the ship's twenty four Surface-to-ship Missile Launchers, the two Gottfried "Mk.71" 225 cm High-Energy Beam Cannons and the two "Valiant Mk.8" 110 cm Linear Cannons, more than ready to give it their all to protect the Orb Union from the attacking ZAFT forces.

"Fire!" both Trine and Amagi declared as the two ships proceeded to fire at one another with their respective weapons...

 **oooooooooo**

As the Archangel and the Minerva clashed with one another, the Strike Freedom combined both its MA-M21KF High Energy Beam Rifles in a manner similar to that of the GAT-X103 Buster's main weapons, forming one long-range beam rifle that was fired at the Destiny and Shinn activated the Beam Shield to protect him from the blast long, forcing his back due to the recoil from the impact but retaliated with his Gundam's Beam Cannon.

Yet as he charged up the Beam Cannon, Kira almost on instinct activated the MGX-2235 "Calidus" Multi-Phase Beam Cannon on the Strike Freedom's torso and fired at the same time the Destiny fired its own cannon, causing the two blasts to collide and cancelled each other out almost instantly. Causing Rey to show a hint of disappointment on his face as he saw from onboard the Minerva that his friend and comrade was being held back against this new and improved Freedom.

 **oooooooooo**

Back in space, the Ral Kairam had finally landed at the lunar Terminal HQ... and soon after that, Amuro, Judau and Roux had gone to the development area to inspect the new Mobile Suits being produced. Greeting them, as soon as they emerged from the corridor leading to the working area, was a young woman of clear Chinese ancestry with bright navy blue hair, going in a neatly-combed fringe over her forehead and wearing a light yellow normal suit. She had been supervising the assembling of the Mobile Suits Terminal was working on, but as soon as Amuro, Judau and Roux were within sight, she turned to them, waving enthusiastically at the Newtype ace pilot.

"Captain Ray, Lieutenants Ashta and Louxa, welcome back!" she greeted them. Warrant Officer Chan Agi, Anaheim Electronics' technical officer in charge of the Nu Gundam project, approached the three pilots and greeted them with a polite bow. "It is good to see you back... although I'm sorry about Luna-5."

"It is good to see you again as well, Chan." Amuro greeted back, allowing himself a smile. "Unfortunately, we were unprepared for Char and Durandal's latest moves... but I can see that Terminal is already taking steps to remedy this!"

Amuro, Judau, Roux and Chan turned to the half-finished Mobile Suits - three Gundams, one of which had a white and black color scheme and set of strange-looking funnels mounted on its back, resembling a pair of wings.

"Indeed, thanks to the Terminal developers and the Psyco Frame technology we have received from an unknown source..." Chan explained, sobering a little at the last part. "...and for which we're still investigating all possible leads... we have been able to create these revolutionary Mobile Suits which should give us the edge we need against Neo Zeon and ZAFT and possibly LOGOS as well. The RX-93 v Nu Gundam, the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom and the ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice, the latter two have already been completed at the Terminal and are fully operational alongside the three ZGMF-XX09T DOM Troopers though the Nu Gundam needs some more time. Lady Lacus herself has confirmed that she will be here as soon as possible, and bring some much-needed reinforcements with her. As for the rest, we have almost completed the development for the Super G-Fortress and the Gundam Mk-4."

"Super G-Fortress?" Judau asked in curiosity. "And what's that supposed to be?"

"It's simply a plan to improve the armaments and cruise range of your ZZ Gundam, Lieutenant Ashta." Chan explained. "In a nutshell, your unit will be able to use its Hi-Mega Cannon even when in G-Fortress mode. We will also be adding more missile launchers, and two propellant tanks."

"That's good to know." Judau answered, smiling in relief as he heard the news. The three pilots and the Anaheim officer floated towards the almost-finished Nu Gundam to allow Amuro to do a first test run and boarded the elevator to reach the hatch on the Mobile Suit's chest.

"Though, one thing I have to say..." Chan commented, in a falsely frustrated tone. "When I first came to supervise the project, most of the people working here didn't want to believe I was actually an engineer from Anaheim Electronics. Can you believe that?"

Amuro offered her a kind smile. "Well, maybe that's because you're too pretty to look like one, Chan." he said playfully, hinting that he and Chan had something more going on between them than simple partnership. To further proof of this, Chan blushed at the comment and let out a very girlish giggle, as a bunch of colourful flowers bloomed comically around her!

"Why, I hadn't thought of that! Hehee..." she admitted with a brief laugh, managing to make even Judau and Roux crack a smile.

Amuro and Chan reached the Nu Gundam's cockpit, and the Newtype ace sat down at the commands, trying to get himself acquainted with the new Mobile Suit. "So, let's make a resume of this Gundam's capabilities, Chan... not only has it been outfitted with Fin Funnels, but the Psycoframe technology has also been incorporated directly into the Nu Gundam's cockpit frame, right?"

"Exactly, according to what we've researched about it." Chan answered. "The Psycoframe is composed of countless microscopic-sized Psycomm receptor chips, and this configuration allows us not only to reduce the cockpit's total weight, but also gives a Newtype pilot an edge in reading the opponents' thoughts and movements."

Amuro nodded. "I see... guess I'll need a few days to get used to this all, but in the end, it will be worth it. For now, knowing this is enough."

Amuro and Chan exited the cockpit and climbed back on the elevator, where Judau and Roux were patiently waiting...

 **oooooooooo**

A Murasame in its MA Mode was torn apart by a hell-fire of bullets as Operation Fury began to intensify and a single UMF/SSO-3 ASH briefly surfaced in order to open fire with MA-M1217R High-Energy Beam Cannons, easily destroying an Aegis-class cruiser in one shot. At the same time, a ZGMF-2000 GOUF Ignited tore right though an airborne MBF-M1 M1 Astray Shrike, an M1 Astray with the EF-24R Flight Rotor Shrike, with its "Slayer Whip" like a hot knife through butter.

As the battle raged on and both sides trying their best to fend one another off, Cagalli used the Akatsuki's beam rifle to destroy a GOUF Ignited that tried to stop her as she flew towards Orb Defense Headquaters, accompanied by Kisaka's gold Murasume and three standard units that wanted to make sure she was okay. "Cagalli!" the African Colonel called out to the Lioness.

"Lady Cagalli!"

"I'm landing in Headquarters" said Cagalli as she was more than ready to give Yuna what he deserved for causing this whole mess to happen and hopefully he'll reveal where he and his father Unato were hiding Djibril since the ZAFT and Neo Zeon forces were only attacking the nation in order to get their target. "Back me up!"

As the four Orb Mobile Suits made their way down to the ground where the Orb Defense Headquarters was located, there was going to be another surprise headed their way as a ZAFT pod came down from space and through atmospheric re-entry… once it was nearing its destination, it opened up to reveal three unknown Mobile Suits that caught the eye of ZAFT, Neo Zeon and Orb forces alike. They looked like the Doms used by the Principality of Zeon during the One Year War, since they were bulky purple Mobile Suits with a dark chestplate and shoulder pads, as well as a "skirt" of sorts around their midsection, with a large beam saber sheathed on their backs. Their faces had a peculiar shape, since they resembled a plus sign with a single eye-camera in the middle, and they all appeared to be heavily armed.

"What the?!" muttered one of the ZAKU Warrior pilots in surprise, having never seen these three Mobile Suits before and yet they have the same mono-eye as their own machines.

One of the defending M1 Astray pilots was also at a loss of words, though he had a bad feeling that these Mobile Suits might not be friendly units at all given their design being somewhat similar to the ZAFT and Neo Zeon Mobile Suits that were attacking them. "Are they ZAFT landing forces?!" he asked in complete shock at the three Mobile Suits in question.

The ZGMF-XX09T DOM Troopers, the three Mobile Suits that the Terminal was developing alongside the Strike Freedom and the Infinite Justice, were ready and arrived on Earth just in time to help the defenders make a difference against the enemy. "Uh, did I ever tell you how much I hate Earth's gravity?" came the voice of a rather non-descript man, one whom was wearing glasses with a somewhat unimpressed tone.

"Cut the chatter" the orange-haired woman with a black eye patch replied. "Alright guys, let's go!"

"Right!" declared the third pilot, like the first one, he was a non-descript man and his expression showed determination as he and his allies, who wore ZAFT pilot suits which matched the colors of their respective DOM Troopers, were looking forward to showing how much better they were than the late Black Tri-Stars, a trio of ace pilots from the Principality of Zeon, that fell at the hands of Amuro Ray during the One Year War. "This is for Ms. Lacus!"

With that being said, the three DOM Troopers charged into battle, armed with their respective JP536X Giga-Launcher DR1 Multiplexs as they targeted a number of ZAFT and Neo Zeon forces, firing beams that destroyed two Blaze ZAKU Warriors and a single ASH unit like they were nothing while at the same time activated their MX2351 "Solidus Fulgor" Beam Shield Generators to protect them from enemy fire.

Battle was joined once again, more furious than ever before...

 **oooooooooo**

"Hey, what are those?" came Mir's voice as she picked up a group of unidentified Mobile Suits taking out several ZAFT and Neo Zeon ones by themselves which made her and the rest of the crew even more surprised upon seeing the three machines in action. As they examined the three DOM Troopers, they were in a way reminded of three Principality of Zeon machines that looked exactly like them, and that were taken down by the legendary RX-78-2 Gundam piloted by Amuro Ray.

" _Ms. Murrue, and Cagalli too."_ Lacus' voice was heard as the pink-haired songstress and leader of the TSA, still in her pink ZAFT pilot suit minus the helmet, made contact with the bridge and the Akatsuki from within the MS Hanger, needing to inform them in advance about the three Mobile Suits that emerged from the descent pod earlier in the battle. _"The Mobile Suits in the descent pod are not hostiles."_

 **oooooooooo**

A Blaze ZAKU Warrior, a Gunner ZAKU Warrior, an ASH and a GOUF Ignited did their best in trying to shoot down these new enemy Mobile Suits but they soon saw that the three units evaded with relative ease. "We'll begin with them." instructed Hilda Harken with a stern expression on her face. "Let's go!"

"Yeah." declared Herbert.

"Sounds good to me" Mars replied to his team leader and soon enough, the three DOM Troopers began to form in single file formation, the one in the front still having its "Solidus Fulgor" activated while at the same time, storing the Giga-Launcher DR1 Multiplex onto the back skirt and drawing the MA-X848HD Enhanced Beam Saber from its back as they prepared to deal some serious damage to the enemy forces.

"JET-STEAM ATTACK!"

With that, the lead unit's G14X31Z "Screaming Nimbus" located in on the lower torso came to life, causing it to produce a "cloud" of offensive/defensive particles that spread out to form a barrier around the three machines with each one using a different weapon to attack the opposing forces, allowing them to tear through the group of ZAFT and Neo Zeon units with ease while having a certain level of defense from enemy fire.

"They're kind enough to offer us their aid" said Lacus as she hoped the explanation would be enough to convince Cagalli and everyone onboard the Archangel of their reasons for assisting the Orb Defense Forces at their time of need. "Please regard them as allies."

" _Understood."_

Lacus gave a soft smile, still surprised that Kira allowed her to operate the Infinite Justice in order to accompany him and Raul back to Earth. She saw that the mechanics, including Murdoch, had gathered around both the Infinite Justice and Raul's Excellence-F Frame, the latter needing to be resupplied and equipped with the Flyer frame before heading back out to aid the Orb Forces. "Lacus!" she soon heard Athrun calling her name and she turned to see the still banged up former ZAFT soldier approaching her slowly but surely. "I never expected you to be in there. Are you alright?"

Approaching her former fiancé alongside her pink Haro, she was glad to see him again face to face as the last time they ever gotten the chance to interact with one another was when the Minerva had docked at Orb following the events of Break the World. "Fine, I didn't really do much. Just kept the seat warm" she replied with a soft smile, though she could tell that he was having a hard time standing given his current condition. "And what about you, how are you feeling?"

"Yeah, I'm okay" he told her, glad to see that she was safe. "It's nothing too serious."

"I don't mean physically."

He was somewhat surprised when Lacus asked him that, then memories of his time with Meer Campbell, the girl who was currently impersonating Lacus herself, before and after his rejoining ZAFT flashed before his eyes and still couldn't believe that she didn't want to go with him as she started believing she truly was Lacus Clyne. Seeing the expression on Athrun's face change and him looking away afterwards made Lacus frown with a hint of additional concern.

 **oooooooooo**

"Tristans, fire!" ordered Trine as the Minerva fired its Dual Beam Cannons at the Archangel, only for the crew of the Minerva to see the blast missing its mark while Talia gave a scowl as it seemed their opponent was now starting to fight back unlike in Operation Angel Down.

"Evade!" commanded Murrue with the Archangel having some trouble taking on the ZAFT battleship, truly making the crew reflect on how the Dominion gave them a hell of a fight in the previous war and it seemed history was starting to truly repeat itself.

"Take the enemy from the sides!" Tatenashi intructed her fellow IS pilots. "I'll run distraction with the Mysterious Lady!"

"Got it!" Cecilia answered. Her Missile Pods turned to an enemy ASH and fired several rounds, forcing the enemy to take a defensive positioning. The rest of the IS squad took different directions, with Ichika attacking the enemy from their blind spots and using his laser blade to pierce through the weak spots in the opposing Mobile Suits' armor. Charlotte and her Rafale Revive dodged a rain of beam rifle fire to their left and fired back, while Laura used her Schwarzer Regen's railgun to take down a Gunner ZAKU Warrior.

"Good! And now that they're close by... it's my turn! Show them what we can do, Mysterious Lady!" Tatenashi exclaimed, using her IS' control over water particles to create an incredibly sharp blade that she swung with shocking skill and finesse, slicing an enemy MS in half. Then, a water clone of the mighty IS unit formed in midair and threw its lance at a flying DINN, spearing the ZAFT Mobile suit dead center and causing it to detonate!

"Aim Wombats, fire!" Amagi told the crew as the warship fired four Surface-to-ship Missile in the direction of the Minerva and as this was going on, the Destiny and the Strike Freedom still engaged each other in their own confrontation, the Strike Freedom backing away as the Destiny raised the "Arondight" and was about ready to cut the Strike Freedom down the middle, even more determined to ensure his opponent won't survive this battle way or another but every times it did so, the opposing Gundam evaded with ease.

"Dammit!" growled Shinn, needing to find an opening in order to truly avenge the deaths of his family and Stellar, the images of finding the remains of his little sister and their parents during the Earth Alliance's invasion of Orb in the previous war, as well as the Freedom impaling the Destroy that Stellar operated in the Battle of Berlin still on the back of his mind. "How's this possible…?"

Soon an amethyst seed appeared in front of Kira for a split second, spinning before shattering into countless fragments in a vertical nova, a telltale sign that Kira had entered his SEED mode. Immediately, the Strike Freedom's movements became faster and more precise, and Kira intercepted the Destiny's anti-ship sword by blocking the blade with its two MX2200 Beam Shields. Shinn swore in frustration and tried pushing the Strike Freedom backwards, soon the "Xiphias 3" Railguns came up and blasted the Destiny, causing it to lose its grip on the "Arondight" as it was knocked away by the explosion.

Grabbing the beam rifle that had stored on the back skirt, Shinn gave a darkened glare towards the Strike Freedom as he watched it toss the "Arondight" away. "If those had been beams… this battle would be over!" he snarled, sounding downright animalistic with suppressed rage. "Is that what this is? A lesson?!"

It was then that a red seed exploded in front of Shinn as well... resulting in the Destiny activating its "Wings of Light" as it came right down towards the Strike Freedom and it made Shinn more angry at the fact his opponent might be toying with him, both machines began to fire their respective beam rifles at one another and they evaded with their superior speed...

 **oooooooooo**

"Launcher One, Launcher Two, fire!" Trine gave another order, not believing that the Archangel was actually handling itself better than it did in Operation Angel Down.

"Target their engines." added Talia, knowing that if there was a chance to deal some meaningful damage to the Archangel, now was the time to do it but that didn't mean they'll go down without a fight. "Don't let them hit us, Malik."

"Yes ma'am!" Malik Yardbirds responded, needing to ensure that the Archangel doesn't get the chance to score a direct hit as the opposing crew were veterans from the previous war between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT as they had already seen beforehand.

Rey appeared on the screen, needing to inform the captain of some news that could hinder their chances of taking the enemy down but it had to be said. _"Captain, we need to recall Shinn."_ he alerted much to Talia's dismay.

"What?"

" _The situation has changed, it's unfavorable."_ Rey continued as he knew that as skilled a pilot Shinn was, even he had his share of limits and the fight with the Strike Freedom had already started to show it.

Giving a frown, Talia had to admit that Rey once again made a very valid point n the matter as the Destiny and the Strike Freedom were still wildly firing at one another with their beam rifles in an effort to take the other down. "Then you and Lunamaria should go out and replace him." she told the blonde-haired male FAITH member.

" _Of course, we will sortie. But Shinn has to come in before that. His machine needs maintenance and resupply."_ said Rey, wanting to remind Talia that Shinn needed to get resupplied and could lose unless he was called back to the Minerva as soon as possible. _"If we want to end this, that machine… has to be destroyed."_

Lowering her head and closing her eyes, Talia began thinking about it for a brief moment then said. "Very well, see to it" she spoke since the new Mobile Suit that came to the Archangel's aid was going to be a real pain if it remained out there. "But make it fast."

" _Roger."_

Once Rey signed out, Talia took her glance towards Abbey. "Abbey, what's the situation like up at the front?" she asked the blonde-haired female crew member, hoping to at least hear some good news regarding the current status of their operation. "Have they secured the target yet?"

 **oooooooooo**

At Orb Defense Headquarters, the Orb Forces stationed there were doing their absolute hardest in fending the enemy Mobile Suits off and it wasn't easy due to the number of ZAFT and Neo Zeon units that were involved and suddenly a UTA/TE-6P Geo-GOOhN came from bellow the ground to destroy one of the three M1 Astrays that tried to protect the headquarters with one shot of the Photon Maser Cannons at point-blank range only to meet its end as the Akatsuki impaled the cockpit with its beam saber before landing on the ground.

Cagalli came right out of the cockpit via a zip line and immediately headed towards the headquarters while the gold Murasume piloted by Kisaka watched while still in the air. As she entered HQ, she was greeted with the sight of commander Chiyufu Orimura holding Lord Djibril with her katana close to his throat, while Yuna Roma Seinan and his father Unato looked on in horror and dismay, being held in place by several faithful Orb soldiers aiming their weapons at them.

"Oh, if it isn't Representative Attha!" Chiyufu greeted the blond princess with a pleased smile. "Good to have you back here safe and sound. As you can see, we have all the enemies of our country here in a single place."

"Commander Orimura... your help is much appreciated." Cagalli answered, a little surprised at first, then smiling in satisfaction at finally seeing the people who were about to bring her country to ruin reduced to their mercy. "I have caught wind of your brother and the rest of the survivors of the IS Academy coming to our reinforcement. They are doing a really good job of it too."

As Chiyufu nodded in satisfaction, Lord Djibril feebly tried to struggle against her grip, outraged that his plans were coming to nothing. "Damn you... do you really think you can get away with this, you damn fools?" he growled furiously. "You have no idea who you're dealing with! You do not want us as enemies! Release me, or I'll have Orb razed to the ground!"

"You are not in a position to threaten us, Lord Djibril." Chiyufu sternly rebuked him, her blade still aimed at his neck and ready to decapitate him if he tried anything funny. "You are one of the reasons why ZAFT is attacking us. The least you can do for us is be of some use and help us in stopping the attack. You can do it alive or dead, the choice is yours."

"Ugh..." Djibril was forced to shut up when the cold, tempered steel touched the skin of his neck, all the while Yuna was pathetically begging for his life in front of Cagalli, hoping to find a way out of retribution.

"C-Cagalli, please... you are not going to let them do this to us, r-right?" he whined, smiling nervously at his promised bride even though he couldn't keep fear from showing on his face. "You... you know... I've always had your and Orb's best interests at heart, r-right? We... we allied with the New Earth Alliance... just because it was the only way for Orb to survive..."

Cagalli wanted to hear no more of this. She walked up to Yuna and punched him in the face hard enough to knock him to the floor, causing everyone to widen their eyes in surprise, even though they couldn't say they felt sorry for the guy at all.

"Silence, Yuna!" the blonde princess shouted furiously. "I will not hear any more of your excuses! You have done this to Orb! You have caused our country to be overtaken by war, and many of our wn lost their lives because of that! Do not think I will let you say that you were doing this for Orb!"

"Lady Cagalli!" Unato exclaimed in outrage. "Surely you do not think you can get away with this, do you? The New Earth Alliance will respond to this! Orb will be destroyed by their superior firepower!"

"For now, it seems that we have you in check." Chiyufu answered with a shrug. "So don't think you can intimidate us. And that's not counting the fact that you will lose quite a bit of your reputation when the truth about LOGOS comes out, right?"

"B-but..." Yuna stammered, but Cagalli's steely glare silenced him. The blond princess turned to the operators, determined to do wha she needed to keep Orb safe and force ZAFT to a retreat.

"We're relaying a message to the attacking ZAFT forces." Cagalli affirmed. "We will tell them that we apprehended Lord Djibril as well as Yuna Roma and Unato Ema Seinan, and that the Principality of Orb dissociate themselves from all of their crimes."

"That will only be a temporary solution, Representative Attha." Chiyufu commented. "You know as well as I do that Durandal is simply using Lord Djibril's presence in Orb as an excuse to attack us."

"I know, but at least this will give us some time to prepare ourselves for Durandal's next move. We can use that time to contact our allies in Londo Bell and Nergal, and organize ourselves for when the time comes."

"Yes, I'd agree with that." the dark-haired ace IS pilot answered with a serious nod, still holding the powerless Djibril at swordpoint, which made him snarl in anger. "Well then, let's contact ZAFT and relay this message, right away."

 **oooooooooo**

The Destiny continued to fire the beam rifle at the Strike Freedom, Shinn started becoming more annoyed than ever at seeing that the Gundam he's fighting was giving him more trouble than the original Freedom did. "Bastard… why won't you go down?" he asked himself. "Fall!"

Firing the beam rifle again, he could only bare witness to the Strike Freedom dodging one shot and using its Beam Shield block another and soon Rey came up on the screen, hailing his friend and fellow FAITH member. _"Shinn, back to the ship."_ he ordered much to Shinn's disdbelief.

"Huh? But why?" he asked of Rey, wondering how he was being told to return to the Minerva at a time like this. "Not yet…!"

He saw to his further shock that the Destiny was dangerously running low on power despite being a nuclear powered Gundam and that his machine managed to drain its power reserves to a near critical level of 17%. _"That's an order"_ Rey responded back, preferring not to see Shinn captured or killed in the confrontation when the odds were being stacked against them. "If you want to beat this guy, you need to return now. Got that?"

"Hmph... consider yourself lucky, Freedom. This time, I'm letting you get away. But next time... next time, I'll be taking my revenge for my family and Stellar! You can count on that!" Shinn snarled at the Strike Freedom before making his way back towards the Minerva, much to Kira's surprise. But Kira knew there would be time to wonder about that later, as he headed into the main battlefield.

 **oooooooooo**

Back onboard the Archangel, Athrun was staring at the Infinite Justice… the Mobile Suit that Lacus piloted from space all the way to Earth and how it resembled his old machine, the ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam.

"The Justice" he spoke as Lacus approached him, having changed into the outfit she wore on the Eternal, minus the white jacket that came with it as she could tell that he was intrigued by the sight of the new Mobile Suit that Terminal managed to develop.

"Yes." she said, simply.

"For me?" he asked her, still surprised that it was developed for him to use as he felt unworthy of being its pilot for his actions such as rejoining ZAFT and for getting angry at Kira and Cagalli following the Battle of Darnelles, even having fought against Kira in the Battle of Crete.

"Possibly" she answered. "I think that's for you to decide."

"So what? I'm expected to be a soldier again?" he asked his former fiancé. "Is that what you're saying?"

Frowning for a moment, she couldn't blame him for feeling that way and soon a smile formed on her face. "That is also something… for you to decide" she said to him once again, much to his surprise. "It's scary when someone closes their mind. That is it, that's all there is… they only see an end."

Athrun became even more surprised than ever at those words. "This may be a little cruel seeing as how you're hurt, but Kira believes in you. Like always..." she continued much to his further expression of surprise, turning her attention towards the Infinite Justice. "Power is whatever one makes of it" said the pinkette, causing her ex-fiancé to glance at her once more. "And perhaps you are a soldier, but above and beyond that… you're still Athrun."

He became more surprised than ever as he remembered his talk with Durandal when he was shown the Saviour at the PLANTs, and then looked down at the ground, at a complete loss of words. "Really, that's all there is to it" she concluded, in hopes that these words would help him understand what needs to be done... but only if he chose to go through with it of his own will.

 **oooooooooo**

Even as Lacus spoke to Athrun, the Archangel was still having trouble fending off the Minerva and a group of ZAFT forces. The ZAFT battleship continued its assault on the former Earth Alliance vessel as a GOUF Ignited exploded not too far away from it, taken down by the Excellence-F's Plasma Blade. "20 to port!" declared Talia as the entire bridge rocked violently and caused her to grip onto the arms of her seat. "Swing around!"

"Parsifal, fire!" commanded Trine.

On the Archangel, the former EA crew picked up the Minerva's next attack and Mir was the first one to speak."Incoming missiles, 11 o'clock!" she cried.

"Evade!" Murrue ordered as the Archangel's "Igelstellungs" fired at the missiles, hoping to bring them down before they could get too close. They managed to successfully shoot down most of them, but two of them managed to avoid the bullets and neared their target. However, two emerald colored beams came from out of nowhere and took them out as the Skygrasper arrived just in time to save the white warship.

"The Skygrasper!" exclaimed Chandra, realizing that the fighter was still around and it was it that had stopped the missiles. He wondered how the Skygrasper could be there, since Murrue had given it to Neo as a means of departing Orb beforehand.

Neo's image came on the screen as he wore an Orb-style helmet and was still in the EA uniform he wore when the Archangel brought him onboard back at Berlin following his Jet Windam being severely damaged by the Freedom. "Heheee, oh sorry, kinda cut you off!" he spoke, glad that he managed to get there on time.

"What are you..?" Murrue asked, scarcely believing that Neo had come back to save them despite having been given the chance to leave during the battle.

"You see, I got a score to settle with the Minerva" explained Neo."Don't worry, you guys are gonna win and that's because I've got a real knack for making the impossible possible."

Upon seeing Neo sign out, Murrue was completely silent. That was something Mu would say as memories of him giving his life to save the Archangel from the Dominion rushed into the back of her mind. She gripped both her hands, lowering her head in sadness. "Mu…" she spoke silently, while the Skygrasper went ahead to help the Archangel take down the Minerva.

 **oooooooooo**

" _Destiny resupply complete. Ready for launch"_ Comm. Officer Abbey Windsor, Meyrin's substitute after the younger Hawke's defection, spoke giving Shinn the okay to head back into action.

"Shinn!" Lunamaria called out only for Rey to stop her from following him.

"You're staying here, Lunamaria" he ordered her.

Luna was confused as to why she was not allowed to go there and help her comrade. "What?" she asked.

"It's an order." Rey replied. "Shinn will lose if you distract him."

"B-But he…" Luna murmured, unsure what else to say.

"In his state of mind, you'll just get in his way." Rey told Lunamaria much to her disbelief, "I will go with Shinn himself and ensure that the Freedom's defeat will be swift. As powerful as it is, it does not stand a chance against two of us."

 **oooooooooo**

Shinn activated the Destiny and prepared to launch back into battle, his expression darkened. "Now, he'll pay!" he declared with a scowl on his face. "He's finished!"

" _Stay calm, Shinn"_ he heard Rey contacting him from the cockpit of his own machine and felt that it could be his downfall if his anger and hatred both towards the Athha Family and the Freedom's pilot got the better of him. _"If you let yourself be provoked and lose sight of yourself, you'll lose a battle that you should win."._ Accompanying the Destiny was a bulky, yet still incredibly agile, grey Gundam with blue and red highlights on its chest and abdomen, which bore a striking resemblance to the terrifying ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam used by masked ZAFT Commander Rau Le Creuset during the Second Battle of Jachin Due in the previous war.

" _He wants you to lose control of yourself"_ Rey continued, suspecting that this was a ploy to make Shinn snap and make a mistake that could cost him dearly, something the blonde-haired male ZAFT pilot refused to allow happen.

Giving his friend a small nod, Shinn complied as he needed to keep calm enough to be successful in their next clash with the Strike Freedom. "I understand" he told Rey, glad that the ZGMF-X666S Legend Gundam was going to be assisting him in this battle.

"I'm glad to hear it" said Rey, knowing that the Strike Freedom, due to being a new improved model that the Orb Union somehow acquired, was going to be a more difficult opponent to take out than the original. "That's just a ghost. Time we swept it away."

" _Destiny, Legend, initiating launch sequences."_ began Abbey.

Once the systems were green, Shinn and Rey were given the okay to launch. "Shinn Asuka, Destiny… launching!" The Destiny was the first to depart from the Minerva and the Legend would soon follow afterwards.

"Rey Za Burrel, Legend… taking off!"

The successor to the Providence quickly joined up with the Destiny and they made their way towards where the Strike Freedom was currently located which happened to be near the Archangel itself and the alarms alerted Kira of the presence of two Mobile Suits coming his way which meant only one thing.

"He's back…!" he muttered.

 **oooooooooo**

On board the Nadesico B, on the other hand, Ruri had just finished making a resume of the situation to Admiral Kouichiro Misumaru, an high-ranking New Earth Federation officer and Yurika Misumaru's father, a rather large and somewhat comical-looking man with a thick black moustache and jet black hair orderly combed behind his head, who still had a somewhat grandfatherly air about him despite his long career in a ruthless military environment. Understandably, the man had been quite shocked by the reveal that his own daughter, who he had believed dead for so long, was actually alive - for a very generous definition of the term - and being used by the newly-revealed Martian Successors for their plans.

"You... you mean that my little Yurika... and Akito... are still alive?" Kouichiro stammered, unable to keep his emotions under complete control. Ruri, on her part, was more stoic about it, but it was plain to see that even she had been deeply affected by the latest revelations. Around her, the Nadesico crew, joined by Ryoko, Fiona, Mitsuko and Lahge was listening intently to the conversation.

"It appears to be so." Ruri answered. "The Martian Successors have seized the ancient Ruins of the forgotten Mars civilization, and are possibly using Yurika Misumaru... your daughter... as a living CPU unit for the Bosom Jump control. Your daughter being an A-class Bosom Jumper, it is quite easy to see why... what we still haven't understood, actually, is what happened to her husband, Akito Misumaru, who was acting in a manner quite counter to the person we once knew."

"I see..." Admiral Misumaru murmured, stroking his mustache nervously. "And... about the reappearance of Admiral Haruki Kusakabe. So, it appears that he's the ringleader who caused all the chaos?"

Ryoko stepped up, speaking with barely restrained anger. "Yes... yes, Admiral Misumaru, we saw him with our own eyes, the bastard has survived the rebellion which overthrew him two years ago, and he's been pulling our strings for all this time... we learned that the Hisago Plan was nothing but a ploy from the Martian Successors to set up a Bosom Jumping net all over the Earth Sphere. This way, they will be able to create an entire army of Bosom Jumpers and attack whatever they want, at any moment. We have to stop them before it's too late."

"I... I see." Admiral Misumaru nodded, the gravity of the whole situation hitting him full force and making him feel very old. "Then... we have to take countermeasures as soon as possible. The... The new Nadesico-class battleship, the Nadesico C, should be completed shortly, but for now, I'm afraid you'll have to do with what you have."

"We understand." Ruri nodded calmly. "I was also thinking that, with your permission of course, we should gather the old Nadesico crew, as they would have the most experience dealing with such opponents, and they have repeatedly shown to be capable fighters and crewmembers despite their personal quirks."

Once again, Koichiro Misumaru nodded his assent. "Indeed. Well then, captain Hoshino... we will immediately have an emergency reunion to deal with the situation, while you return to Earth and try to recruit back the old team. For the moment, I'm afraid I can't do much more for you, other than trying to give you full support and get the top brass to support you. Even giving you additional firepower will be a difficult proposition. I'll just try to do whatever I can."

"We appreciate the effort, Admiral Misumaru." Fiona nodded graciously, before gripping her fist and making a solemn promise. "And I can assure you that we'll rescue your daughter and bring back Akito, whatever the cost. We will not let the Martian Successors get away with what they've done, you can count on that."

Admiral Misumaru managed to smile and nod. "Thank you, your efforts are much appreciated." he answered. "I wish you the best of luck... know that the hopes for peace of the whole Earth Sphere are riding on you."

"We do." Ruri answered calmly, before Misumaru's comm screen went off. Hari sighed wistfully and fell back in his seat, as the other members of the crew relaxed.

"So, Captain Hoshino... what's the plan now?" Lahge asked, uncertain what to do.

Ruri sat back in her captain's seat before answering. "First off, we are going to need some resupplying. We'll be heading to Side 1's Londenion colony, and from there we'll try to contact Captain Bright Noah to update him on the situation. We'll head to Earth immediately after."

"I see." Fiona answered. "I do hope Captain Noah and the others managed to complete their mission, at least."

Ruri placed the palms of her hands on the console in front of her, and a few glowing lines appeared on her pale skin, before disappearing again. The Nadesico B's captain, with a dismayed sigh, shook her head slowly in response to Fiona's sentence. "I regret to say that this is not the case." the albino girl told the rest of her crew. "The Terminal forces were unable to stop Luna-5 descent in time, and recent updates show that the asteroid has struck its intended target, Lahsa, where several important New Earth federation headquarters were situated. The number of casualties is still unknown, but a figure in the proximities of the hundred of thousand is feared."

"And to make matters worse, the Orb Union is coming under attack by ZAFT forces on Earth" she continued, having been informed of the additional bad news that they've received concerning the situation happening on the very planet. "Apparently Lord Djibril, the leader of Blue Cosmos, and the last remaining member of LOGOS, is there under the protection of the Seiran Family."

Fiona, Lahge and Mitsuko didn't know whether they were more shocked by this development or by the fact that Ruri was keeping an incredibly controlled demeanor in all of this, despite the fact that her most precious people were at stake, but they weren't about to complain, and simply returned to their places as Ruri ordered to head towards Side 1, with all pilots standing ready in case of another attack. With an heavy heart, the members of the crew all went back to their positions... though Fiona, despite her concerns as Orb was where her brother was testing his Excellence unit and was going to be dragged into the conflict with ZAFT and Neo Zeon due to the neutral nation coming under attack, managed to see, out of the corner of her eye, that Saburouta was trying a not-so-subtle attempt to woo Ryoko with his boyish charm, which simply had the tomboyish female pilot shove the Jovian away...

"Alright then... let's see how this turns out..." Mitsuko commented, catching up with Fiona. "Though, I'm afraid to say, that Hokushin guy and his red Yatenkou robot will be nasty customers to deal with..."

"Yeah, I've noticed..." the red-haired pilot commented with a sigh. "I saw some footage of his fight with Akito's Blackserena... I wouldn't even be a warmup for that guy, much as it annoys me to admit it. We need more allies on our side, or we won't even be able to dent those Martian Successor bastards."

"I only hope that the former Nadesico crew are as good as the captain says they are, or we'll be all in hot water." Lahge commented somewhat dejectedly. "This is certainly a messy business. The trial flight for one of our Excellence units has suddenly turned into a struggle for survival, and I'm afraid we'll have to further outfit your Excellence for fighting, if we are to stand a chance. Unfortunately, we'll have to do the same with Raul's unit when we link up with him given there's a chance he would be dragged into the similar situation. The way we are now, the Martian Successors would destroy us without even trying..."

"Whatever must be done, we'll do. And I'm sure my brother down there on Earth understands that as well" Fiona concluded. "I'm not happy myself with turning our fathers' Excellences into even more of a set of war machines, but if those Martian Successors are allowed to have their way, continuing our research won't have much of a point, now will it?"

"That is sadly true..." Mitsuko had to admit. And after seeing what the Martian Successors were capable of doing, she really had no desire to see their ambitions bearing fruit... "Well, then... as soon as I'm able to resume working on your Excellence, I'll try making it faster and more durable. We need that, if we're to defeat those monk robots... man, I wish I could have gotten more data on them, they were really tough, and I'm afraid they will be a major pain later on..."

Fiona sighed again, as the three began walking together towards their quarters. This was going to be a really, really hard period for all of them... and they had seen nothing yet!

 **oooooooooo**

Back on the Archangel, all Athrun did was look at the Infinite Justice and still contemplated on what to do while also taking in everything Lacus told him then placed a hand on his forehead as if he was having a headache. A rush of memories, one of when he, Kira and Dearka had their conversation with one another in the previous war and him asking them what it is that they should really be fighting against, one of when he spoke with Durandal at the PLANTs alone and how the Chairman told him that there's what he can do and what he wanted to do and finally of Lacus commenting that piloting the Infinite Justice was something for him to decide.

He opened his eyes, then slowly took a step towards the Infinite Justice and briefly looked at Lacus, who gave him a soft smile.

 **oooooooooo**

"The success of the Luna-5 drop marks the first important achievement for the Neo Zeon movement and for ZAFT. I have had the opportunity to observe you in action, and I've been impressed with the performance of you all."

The soldiers of the combined Neo Zeon and ZAFT forces applauded in a gesture of recognition after hearing the words Char Aznable had to say about the result of the battle. The hologram speaking to the crews of the Voltarie, the Rousseau, the Gondwana and the other ships of the coalition accepted their gesture with a simple, elegant bow of the head, then cleared his throat and resumed his speech. "Today, we will conclude operations by performing diversionary actions against the Terminal forces. It's a simple plan, but one that should force them to detour their forces elsewhere, in time for us to return to Sweetwater. That will be all. I wish good luck to all of you."

Char did a military salute as the Neo Zeon and ZAFT soldiers applauded again, and the hologram slowly vanished from their sight...

...and, in another room, the holographic projector turned off, as a group of ZAFT and Neo Zeon officers, applauded the blond Colonel's intervention themselves. In particular, a motherly-looking long-haired brunette on Char's right, a high-ranking Neo Zeon officer known as Nanai Miguel, looked quite impressed with her superior's words.

"Well done, Colonel Aznable." a thin, elderly looking gentleman on his left commented.

"Yes, that was first-class oratory!" another, slightly younger man felt the need to parrot. Char himself wasn't exactly pleased with this all, and it showed as he took off the dark blue mantle hanging by his shoulder pads.

"A mere clowning, really." he said to himself, as Nanai offered to take his cape. Char thanked her with a slight nod, and soon after, another holographic projection, this time showing the ZAFT chairman Gilbert Durandal, began a speech of his own.

"My esteemed colleague, Colonel Char Aznable of the Neo Zeon movement, has just said some very effective words to us all." The long-haired Chairman said suavely. "Still, I would like to add something to them. Do not forget what we are all fighting for - namely, a future where all people might be happy, and where wars and suffering will be a thing of the past. Such goals might have sounded utopistic and far-fetched in the recent past... and indeed, even now, the path to upholding them is rife with adversities. And perhaps even more sadly, to obtain peace in the future, we have to fight now against those who are blinded by greed or led astray by misplaced feelings. Indeed, what we are doing could seem hypocritical to some. And yet, do not forget that a greater number of lives will be saved later. Some sacrifices will have to be made for this. Do not falter, loyal soldiers of Neo Zeon and ZAFT, for now we have the chance to write an important page in human history."

Once again, the crews of the Voltarie, the Rousseau, the Gondwana and the other ships, the former three only doing so as instructed by Yzak to keep Char from suspecting their own distrust towards him, applauded the intervention, and even Char and Nanai offered a sign of appreciation, before heading together down a corridor... where they were soon joined by Gyunei Guss, the black-haired teenager who had piloted the Yakt Doga who had faced Amuro during the earlier battle. There was a look of apology in his eyes, but at the same time there was some hint of anger, and it was hard to see if it was directed at himself or his leader. Char and Nanai immediately took notice of him and turned in his direction.

"Colonel." Gyunei said, standing upright and saluting with his right hand. "I apologize for what happened on Luna-5... and I thank you for saving me on that occasion."

"As you know, we have made you into an artificial Newtype at the Newtype Labs. You are quite expensive, Gyunei, therefore we cannot exactly afford to lose you." Char answered, without mincing words.

Nanai had some kinder words to offer the black-haired teen. "Do not concern yourself about it, Gyunei. Get some rest, and be ready for any event." she said, before following the Neo Zeon leader down the corridor. Gyunei stood in his place for a second, apparently mulling over the words of his superiors, before nodding grimly.

"Acknowledge," he said, more to himself than anything else. "Newtype Labs Director, Nanai Miguel."

 **oooooooooo**

Athrun, now donning an Orb pilot suit, was in the cockpit of the Infinite Justice and got himself prepared to head into action. The Infinite Justice had just been placed onto the Starboard Catapult and was now about to be launched, with Athrun mentally preparing himself to do battle against his former underlings. Shinn and Rey would certainly be there as well, and they were not to be underestimated.

The blue-haired ZAFT ace pilot breathed out in tension and relief at the same time. It was now his responsability - if he had been more firm and had not let his doubts cloud his judgement, perhas Shinn would not have gone down this road, but what's done is done. At least, he could now remedy that by stopping Shinn from taking part in the destruction of Orb, and hopefully set him straight before he did something he would regret for the rest of his life.

 **oooooooooo**

" _Hey, Captain! That kid from ZAFT is in a Mobile Suit!"_

"What?" asked Murrue. "In his conditions? That's crazy! Tell him to stop!"

It was just then that Lacus walked into the bridge in her battle outfit, and raised a hand in an attempt to convince Murrue not to stop Athrun from doing what he felt wasright. "Please, Captain" she spoke, getting the brown-haired woman's attention. "Let him do what he wants."

Murrue seemed to be uncertain for a moment. "Lady Lacus... are you sure about that?" she asked.

"Yes, I am." Lacus answered with a serious nod. "It was lucky that we received assistance from the IS units and the Skygrasper 1, but... the Strike Freedom won't be able to resist on its own when pitted against both the Legend and the Destiny. It sounds cold, but we will need Athrun's strength as well."

Murrue sighed, understanding the reasoning. "Very well then." she answered. "Launch the Infinite Justice right away!"

"Athrun Zala, Infinite Justice… launching!"

 **oooooooooo**

The Infinite Justice launched, soaring through the skies and launching itself at the place where the Strike Freedom was fighting. The Destiny and the Legend were already there, double-teaming Kira and forcing him to go on the defensive. The Legend Gundam fired its beam rifle, raining several lasershots upon the Strike Freedom, but Kira was able to dodge them with relative ease, even as he looked at the DRAGOON-equipped Gundam with a sense of fear and foreboding. In his mind, flashes to when the Providence Gundam piloted by Rau Le Creuset shot down the shuttle Flay was in continued to play, as the face of the masked madman seemed to taunt him in his flashbacks.

"Curses... I can't get distracted like that..." Kira muttered. As he tried to avoid the Legend's attacks, the Destiny piloted by Shinn managed to move to his side, and with an enraged yell, the young ZAFT ace charged at him, determined to impale the Strike Freedom on his anti-ship sword. Kira reacted just in time and had the Strike Freedom deliver a powerful roundhouse kick to the Destiny's midsection, knocking it away.

The Legend Gundam fired again, and this time, the Strike Freedom was unable to evade, and was knocked out of the air, landing on the ground with a crash...

 **oooooooooo**

"Hold on, Kira, I'm coming..." Athrun murmured as he flew at the greatest speed the Infinute Justice could muster to help his best friend. As he got closer, he saw that the Excellence-F piloted by Raul Grayden, and the Byakushiki piloted by Ichika placed themselves at his sides, willing to aid him as much as they could. Raul seemed to be somewhat surprised to see someone like Athrun piloting the newly developed Gundam, especially in his injured state. "Are you sure about going through with it?" he asked."I mean, you haven't fully-recovered and…"

"We just don't want you to run any unnecessary risk." Ichika continued, glancing back at his female comrades still fighting against the rest of the ZAFT army. He was pleased to see that they were doing well, with Charlotte shooting down a GOUF Ignited with her Rafale Revive's cannons.

"I'll be fine." Athrun replied back. "I understand the risks, but this is something I have to do myself."

"Alright. Just make sure you don't overdo it, okay?" Raul said with a confident smile.

"We'll support you and keep the ZAFT forces from interfering." Ichika concluded, before turning back to his comrades and opening a channel to them. "Class Rep, everyone, I will need to support Athrun here. Can you handle this on your own?"

"Sure! No problem!" Tatenashi answered with a wink, her Mysterious Lady IS still running rings around the ZAFT Mobile Suits. "You go help our Orb allies, we have things well in control!"

"Alright, Class Rep! Best of luck to you, girls!" Ichika answered, as Laura's Schwarzer Regen distracted a pair of DINNs that were quickly shot down by Cecilia's Bits. The three of them quickly turned their attention to the battle ahead of them, and saw that the Strike Freedom was about to be targetted by the Destiny Gundam's beam cannon...

"KIRA!" Athrun exclaimed, boosting his speed to the limit. Raul took aim with his Plasma Rifle and fired a concentrated beam of reddish-purple energy that tore through the air, barely missing the Legend Gundam as it nimbly dodged, but Shinn was caught off guard as the Infinite Justice threw its beam boomerangs, nailing the Destiny and throwing it off balance. One moment later, the Infinite Justice slammed into the Destiny with all of its weight, sending it away from the Strike Freedom. Kira looked up in surprise, and widened his eyes in surprise as he realized that his best friend was riding that Gundam.

"Athrun!" he exclaimed in relief. The blue-haired young man turned slightly to the Strike Freedom and smiled a little to himself, before turning back to the Destiny Gundam and its furious pilot.

"Athrun! You're still alive?" Shinn growled furiously. "Why can't you just stay dead?"

"Shinn, please, think of what you're doing!" Athrun quickly answered. "Do you really think that attacking your own home country will destroy LOGOS and bring an end to the fighting?"

The Legend Gundam intervened, trying to attack the Infinite Justice with its beam sabers. "Do not listen to him, Shinn." Rey exclaimed, as he pushed back the Infinite Justice. "Athrun Zala is nothing but a traitor who refuses to die and spouts nonsense."

"Is that so?" Raul intervened, his Excellence-F's laser blade flashing forward and clashing with one of the Legend Gundam's beam sabers in a shower of sparks and lightning. "Keep telling yourself that, pal. As far as I know, you are the ones who are attacking Orb under a flimsy excuse! Kira, let's take out this guy!"

The Strike Freedom stood up and charged the Legend, which found itself double-teamed by both the new Gundam and the agile Excellence frame while Shinn attacked the Infinite Justice, his beam saber clashing with Athrun's. Snarling in fury, Shinn extended his Gundam's right hand in order to nail the Infinite Justice with the palm-mounted Palma Fiocina beam cannon, but he found himself under attack from the Byakushiki as Ichika used his laser blade to try and slice at the weak spots in the Destiny's armor. The VPS Armor was able to absorb two hits, but a third one slipped into a joint in the armor and damaged the Destiny!

"Ugh... DAMN YOU!" Shinn shouted.

"Shinn, please! You are letting your anger control you!" Athrun pleaded in an attempt to get through to the crazed young pilot. "It's wrong to fight without even knowing the reason for your anger!"

"You are from Orb just like me, right?" Ichika asked, getting out of the Destiny Gundam's range. "How can you be fighting against your own homeland?"

"SHUT UP!" Shinn retorted. "I will not listen to a traitor like you, Athrun! And you in that IS... you are just a fool who doesn't know anything! You have no right to tell me anything!"

The Destiny Gundam threw its beam boomerangs, sending one at the Infinite Justice, and one at the Byakushiki, but the defenders of Orb were able to dodge both of them, while Kira and Raul continued to double-team Rey and the Legend Gundam, their blades clashing against Rey's Defiant Kai beam javelin. The blond ZAFT pilot grit his teeth as he started to feel the pressure of two opponents fighting him at the same time...

"Heh... not so tough now that you're the one getting double-teamed, huh?" Raul quipped. "Take this!"

The red-haired test pilot aimed his Plasma Rifle at the Legend and fired another beam that struck the Providence-lookalike in the chest, causing it to stagger and Rey to grit his teeth in dismay. As Kira fired a barrage of shots from his beam rifle, forcing Rey to retreat ever so slightly, his comm screen as well as those of his comrades buzzed to life, and after a moment of static, he was able to see his sister appearing on the screen, with Chiyufu holding Lord Djibril prisoner, and the handcuffed Yuna and Unato close behind, giving anxious glances to the Lioness of Orb.

"Look there, everyone!" Ichika exclaimed jauntily. "Looks like big sister Chiyufu came through. She captured Lord Djibril!"

Kira nodded and smiled slightly. "That's good. Things are finally looking up for us, it seems..."

" _To the ZAFT forces currently attacking Orb! I, Cagalli Yula Attha, Chief Representative of the Principality of Orb, call for an immediate ceasefire!_ " Cagalli exclaimed confidently, her fire finally back full force. " _We have captured Lord Djibrl, the leader of LOGOS, and all those in Orb government who have been aiding him in his crimes have been captured as well, and will stand trial for their crimes. We of the Principality of Orb shall never tolerate their atrocities, and we dissociate ourselves from all their actions!_ "

"Oooh, that's one heck of a declaration!" Raul commented. "Let's see how ZAFT takes the news, now that the little lady is destroying their excuses to attack Orb!"

 **oooooooooo**

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

 **Author's Note: Phew, this chapter was harder to write than I thought, and I'm not sure whether it can compare with others I wrote earlier. I did rewatch Char's Counterattack to get a clearer picture of the situation in that movie, but I know I messed up somewhere... Anyway, I hope this chapter was still interesting!**

 **The semi-romantic scene with Amuro and Chan (one of my favourite Gundam couples ever) was taken from the CCA manga by Kouichi Tokita, who does give the two of them a little more space, and gives Chan a few funny scenes which make her all the more likeable - I thought that, given the lighter tone of the Super Robot Taisen games in comparison with the original source material, a few light-hearted scenes would fit!**

 **Co-Author's Note: Speaking of the Universal Century, Gundam Thunderbolt is set in the events of the Mobile Suit Gundam events (similar to how Gundam Unicorn is set three years after CCA and 27 years before Mobile Suit Gundam F91 while Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin is a retelling of the MSG series). Lily hasn't thought about including Thunderbolt or elements from The Origin into this story, but she may consider it for another story.**

 **On another note, I heard a new Code Geass anime is gonna premiere in Japan sometime this year under the name Code Geass: Lelouch of the Resurrection and set a few years after the Zero Requiem with a still living Lelouch vi Britannia. Not only this, but a compilation film trilogy, which serves as a recap of the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion series has been confirmed to be coming out too. If anything, Lily might also include some events of this new anime along with elements from the compilation film trilogy, but will need to see them first before she can make a proper decision on the matter.**

 **Author's Note: Thanks, Draco! Next chapter will be up as soon as I can! In the meantime, I hope Super Robot Wars fans can leave a review! Thank you for reading, and see you soon!**


	8. The End Of Operation Fury

**SUPER ROBOT TAISEN S REVAMPED**

 **Welcome back, everyone! Sorry for the time I've taken... Looks like my Super Robot Taisen fanfiction is in full swing right now, and I have no intention to slow down just yet! Since I have a pretty busy life, it may be that upgrades are slower from now on, but I can assure you I will not abandon this story! I'm getting into it too much to stop now!**

 **Anyway, this chapter should deal with the aftermath of the reveal of the Martian Successors, and with what the heroes are planning to do to oppose them and the Neo Zeon / ZAFT uprising... not an easy feat to accomplish, all things considered. And in the meantime, Fiona and her friends have their own problems to deal with, concerning both the Excellences' combat capabilities, and the mysterious entity that botched Fiona's test flight along with having contacted Raul during his assistance against the ZAFT ZAKU Warriors and GOUF Igniteds.**

 **But I'll let you see things with your own eyes. For now, let me thank all of my readers for their continued support, and wish you happy reading! Something major is about to go down here!**

 **PS: I know many may have hoped Lord Djibril, Yuna and Unato would have died the same way as the canonical SEED Destiny series but I have plans for them down the line. Although even with Lord Djibril captured and his escape into space prevented, that won't keep LOGOS from going down without a fight and soon all hell will break loose once they make their move!**

 **oooooooooo**

 **Chapter 8 - The End of Operation Fury**

Operation Fury was becoming more intense by the second, especially as with Neo Zeon/ZAFT pressing on in an effort to take down the defenders and capture their target.

Luckily the assistance from the Strike Freedom, the Infinite Justice, the Akatsuki, the Murasumes from the Archangel, IS units and the DOM Troopers proved more than enough to help even the odds.

One of the DOM Troopers fired a round from the Giga-Launcher and the other joined in with a beam cannon shot from its own weapon, forcing a ZGMF-1000/K Slash ZAKU Warrior to block the round with its shield. But right afte that, it fell to the beam that pieced through its cockpit.

Hilda Harken, Mars Simeon and Herbert Von Reinhard showed their teamwork as their DOM Troopers continued to plow though the ZAKU Warriors like they were nothing and proceeded to take on the rest of the Neo Zeon and ZAFT mobile suits that tried to shoot them down.

"Come on, get back you guys!" declared Hilda with a confident grin on her face as she felt that this was way too easy. "We're pushing you out!"

"Well then, stop firing at their legs…" added Herbert with a similar expression that his team leader had and Mars silently grinned as they continued their strike against the enemy Mobile Suits.

In the air, two Murasames in their MA mode swooped down and managed to destroy two airborne GOUF Igniteds when they least expected it with the Orb pilots relieved that the additional aid was helping to prevent a repeat of when the Earth Alliance and the Titans invaded their nation three years ago but they needed to stay alert because Neo Zeon and ZAFT might still have some hidden surprises in store for them all.

 **oooooooooo**

At the Orb Defense Headquarters, Cagalli and Kisaka hd donned their respective uniforms, and were being accompanied by Chiyufu as they led the handcuffed and powerless Lord Djibril, Yuna and Unato towards the main HQ. "Hayamatsumi has been destroyed" reported one of the officers in charge of the headquarters with a frown on his face. "Tayamatsumi is immobile."

"6th Mobile Force to Izanagi coast." came the voice of another male officer, realizing that they needed some assistance to aid the forces against the ZAFT and Neo Zeon troops attacking at the shore of Izanagi. "I repeat. 6th Mobile Force to Izanagi coast."

"What is the situation here?" Cagalli asked, regaining her confident attitude. "How are our allies faring?"

"They seem to be holding their own, Representative Attha." one of the officers answered. "The intervention of the new Gundam units, as well as the IS squad, seems to have leveled the playing field, but the enemy is still going strong."

"I understand..." Cagalli answered in worry. "As you can see, however, we have good news - Lord Djibril has been captured, and he can finally be brought to justice for his crimes."

"Which is something I guess we have to thank my silly little brother for." Chiyufu answered with a smirk, still keeping Lord Djibril under threat from her katana. She then sobered a bit as she glanced up at the screens. "How are my students, by the way? I have already lost some of them, and I wouldn't want to have to see more of them buried."

"All IS units are still in good conditions." another operator answered. "At the moment, the Byakushiki is helping the Infinite Justice in battle against the Legend Gundam, and it seems to be doing well enough."

The strongest IS pilot ever to live smiled in satisfaction. "That Ichika... he sure came a long way since he was such a clumsy weakling." she commented. Silently, she wished good luck to her little brother and his friends, even as she kept standing guard over their prisoners...

"P-p-please, Cagalli, tell this woman to let us go!" whined Yuna. "I... I have only done what was necessary for the good of Orb! I don't deserve this!"

"Hmph... at least try to have some dignity about it, Yuna!" Cagalli spat back.

"B-b-but... but..." he kept sniveling. "But ZAFT will destroy us now! Don't you realize what you're doing! Help me! I don't wanna die!"

"Lady Cagalli, you are committing a vital mistake!" Unato tried to protest. "What you are doing is leaving Orb ripe for the taking from all our enemies!"

"Yeah? We'll just have to see about that." Chiyufu answered with a severe look in her eyes. "Right now, just sit back and enjoy seeing ZAFT getting blasted to pieces."

Lord Djibril snorted angrily, swearing to himself that his enemies would have had Hell to pay when he got out of this predicament...

 **oooooooooo**

As this was going on, the Archangel and the Minerva continued to battle against one another but the sudden return of Skygrasper 1 and Neo Roanoke did help lessen the tension a bit.

"Parsifal, fire!" the Minerva was currently firing its CIWS bullets to shoot down any missiles that tried to reach it and soon countered with missiles of their own.

"Evade!" commanded Murrue, not going to make the same mistake she did back in Operation Angel Down when the Archangel tried to flee from the ZAFT and Neo Zeon forces, including the Minerva. "30 to port!"

Once the Archangel managed to barely dodge the missiles from the Minerva, it was time to make their next move. "Helldarts, fire!" ordered Amagi as the former Earth Alliance warship used its Helldarts in retaliation which resulted in an explosion from behind the white vessel.

In the meantime, Neo had the Minerva in his sights and flew Skygrasper 1 towards the battleship that gave him so much trouble since Armory-One. He targeted the ZAFT vessel and fired a single Anti-ship missile in its direction which despite the hell-fire of bullets, scored a direct hit which obliterated the "Isolde" and caused the entire ship to rock violently at the damage it received from the small fighter.

Sadly, as the Skygrasper flew back up, one of the "Tristans" fired and managed to get payback on it by damaging the back of its right wing, causing Neo to grit his teeth in anger at the fact he was going down…. making him wish he had his customized purple Jet Windam.

Onboard the Archangel, Mir frowned as something caught her eye on communications. "The Skygrasper just took a hit!" she reported, causing Murrue to be worried for the EA captain as his face came on the screen.

"Heh, so you think you can take me in?"

Murrue knew not to argue and got on the phone with the MS hanger. "Tech crew, bridge, prepare for emergency landing!" she ordered, as the Skygrasper quickly made its way back towards the Archangel.

Yet on the way, Neo's eyes widened in shock as something flashed before his very eyes… it was the Archangel, but rather than it opening the Starboard hatch, it remained sealed with a huge gaping hole large enough for a fighter to enter and an image of Murrue in an EA uniform on the phone giving what appeared to be a similar order was also shown. The former leader of Phantom Pain shook his head as he didn't need to get distracted at a situation like this and came to a skidding stop upon landing in the MS hangar.

As soon as the fighter and Neo were safely onboard, Murrue knew that they needed to get out of the area for the time being. "Prepare to submerge" commanded the brown-haired woman as Arnold Neumann got ready to dive the Archangel into the ocean. "Descend 20!"

"Preparing to submerge" Arnold complied with the order and slowly began the ship's descent to the water...

 **oooooooooo**

Trine turned his attention towards Talia since its clear that the Archangel was once again trying to escape from them much like in Operation Angel Down before this. "Captain" he said, wondering if the blonde-haired female FAITH member was going to give the order to use its "Tannhauser" like the last time though he was only given complete silence.

However, after a few seconds, she decided to speak. "We won't have any offensive options if they get underwater" she said. "We have to ascend, and quickly!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The Minerva immediately started to ascend to the air as the Archangel had successfully made it to the ocean. "Valiants, fire!" ordered Murrue the moment the white ship was completely submerged and fired both "Valiants" upwards with both linear shots coming out of the water right towards the fleeing Minerva, which barely had time to react before it took the hit!

Unfortunately for the ZAFT crew, the Archangel wasn't done as it fired its "Sledgehammers" and "Wombats" upwards at the ships that aided the enemy fleet and as this was going on, Talia decided to make contact with one of their allied forces. "Commander, I believe we're at a disadvantage right now." she reported since its clear the odds were being pitted against them more than ever before. "We should fall back."

In the sea, several Vosgulov-class submarines fired their Torpedo Launchers with the commander in charge of one of them was starting to get angry at what Talia was telling him right now. "Are you serious?" he asked with his right hand tightened into a fist. "Don't' you realize how that would look? We'd be letting Djibril slip through our fingers."

The Archangel now set its sights on three of the Vosgulov-class submarines, one of which being his own submarine the St. Helens, and the former EA warship fired its "Valiants" again, which destroyed two of the enemy submarines each with a single hit.

"Yes but…" she never finished what she was going to say as the image of the commander soon changed to static, and not long afterwards an explosion occurred from underwater which was a sign that the Archangel had destroyed the St. Helens.

"We've lost signal from the flagship St. Helens!"

Frowning, Talia tightened her hands, and as she wondered what else could go wrong, an announcement was heard throughout communications...

" _To the ZAFT forces currently attacking Orb! I, Cagalli Yula Attha, Chief Representative of the Principality of Orb, call an immediate ceasefire!"_ Cagalli exclaimed confidently, her fire finally back full force. _"We have captured Lord Djibril, the leader of LOGOS, and all those in Orb government who have been aiding him in his crimes gave been captured as well, and will stand trial for their crimes. We of the Principality of Orb shall never tolerate their atrocities, and we dissociate ourselves from all their actions!"_

On the battlefield, Cagalli's speech had the predicted effect of making the ZAFT forces hesitate. Several Mobile Suits hanged back, their pilot being unsure of what to do after hearing that from silent for a brief moment, Talia had her suspicions but nevertheless she picked up the phone in order to have someone sent to where the leader of Blue Cosmos was currently being held. "Lunamaria, take off and retrieve Djibril!" she immediately ordered on the phone, having a feeling it might be a trap but she needed some confirmation before she could say for certain. "I authorize you to head for the Orb Defense Headquarters and find out whether them having Djibril in their custody is true or not."

" _Yes, ma'am!"_ Lunamaria's voice came at the other end.

 **oooooooooo**

Shinn was getting more and more frustrated as the battle went on. While Kira and Raul were holding the Legend Gundam at bay, he was having his hands full fighting the Infinite Justice piloted by Athrun and the Byakushiki piloted by Ichika. Athrun was fighting with a much clearer mind and without hesitation, and that small IS was so quick and evasive he couldn't get a good lock on it.

Athrun's beam saber clashes against Shinn's, forcing the Destiny Gundam away from it, but the furious young FAITH pilot was not going to be deterred so easily. He charged head-on again, determined to finish off Athrun once and for all... but he was stopped when the Byakushiki's laser blade collided with the Destiny Gundam's wrist with enough power to sway the mighty Mobile Suit's arm and throw the Destiny Gundam off balance.

"That's enough! Don't you think this is going too far?" Ichika tried to reason with Shinn once again. "Just look around you! Look at how you and your comrades are destroying your own homeland! How could anyone want any of this?"

"SHUT UP!" Shinn yelled in rage. "You don't understand anything! You know nothing about me! You haven't lost people dear to you, so you have no right to judge me!"

These words hit Ichika like a ton of bricks, and the young male IS pilot froze in midair for a moment, as images of several people flashed in front of his eyes - a tall black-haired girl with a cross expression on her face and her hair tied in a long ponytail; a cute green-eyed brunette with a pair of pigtails and a small canine jutting out of her mouth ever so slightly; and a shy-looking girl with light blue hair and thick looking glasses.

In his mind, he relived several painful moments that were all too fresh in his mind, and that he knew would probably never truly fade away. The moments where three of his friends' lives were unfairly cut short. Where he cursed himself for not being strong enough to save them from death...

" _Houki... Rin... Kanzashi..._ "

"Be careful, Ichika! He's closing in on you!" Kira exclaimed, jolting Ichika out out of his stupor. The young man widened his eyes in a mixture of shock and rage as he saw the Destiny Gundam's palm extending towards him, aiming the Palma Fiocina close-range beam cannon at him. Ichika quickly went from surprise to rage, though, and he reacted with grim determination.

" _Come on, Byakushiki... I need you to come through, one more time!_ " the young man though to himself. Another image flashed in his mind, that of a pretty white-haired girl in a white dress... and the IS unit seemed to burst with energy, radiating a blinding flash that stopped all the other fighters in their tracks! The Byakushiki's laser blade seemed to grow in size and power, growing into a huge blade, even taller than Ichika himself! With a yell, Ichika swung his blade at the Destiny Gundam... and despite the great size difference, the white IS managed to score a fierce blow on the ZAFT Mobile Suit, slicing through the gaps in its armor and heavily damaging it!

"AAAAAARGH! D-Damn youuuuu!" Shinn yelled in fury, his Palma Fiocina cannon fizzling out from sudden malfunction. He lashed out with his vulcans at the seemingly fragile Byakushiki, but Ichika was able to dodge the attack with incredible speed and adroitness, and fught back with another powerful sword slash, carving a huge melted scar on the Destiny Gundam's chest and pushing the new-generation Gundam away!

Athrun was hanging back for the moment, staring in wide-eyed wonder at how the smaller IS was more than holding his own against the much larger Gundam. He knew IS units could be really powerful, but actually seeing that was a whole other matter. "Amazing... to think that Ichika used to be such a subpar pilot when we were fighting together in the previous war..." Athrun murmured to himself. "I almost can't believe he became so skilled."

Blinded by rage, Shinn was now swinging his anti-ship sword wildly, trying to swat Ichika out of the sky. The male IS pilot decided it would be more prudent to cease his assault, and retreated beyond the powerful blade's reach.

"Damn you... damn you... I will not forgive you... Your kind took my family away from me! You took Stellar away from me! I will not forgive you! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" Shinn yelled in pure rage. For just a split second, the enraged FAITH pilot thought of all those he held dear that he had lost in the war... Mayu... his parents... Stellar... his comrades... and as his eyes snapped open, he burst angrily towards Ichika, attempting to crush him! In a moment of surprise, Ichika raised his sword and blocked the Destiny's thrust, but before Shinn had a chance to retaliate, Athrun intervened and struck Shinn's Gundam with all the might he was capable of.

Immediately, as Athrun closed his eyes and concentrated briefly, an emerald seed appeared in a vision in front of him, and burst into a thousands particles of light, causing the blue-haired youth to go into SEED mode as well. Furious at Athrun's interference, Shinn charged with his anti-ship sword again, fully intending to bisect the Infinite Justice!

"You will not come back a second time, Athrun!" Shinn practically roared in fury. His anti-ship sword descended, but Athrun was ready for it, and used his double-sided beam saber to block the powerful attack. Then, without giving Shinn the time to counter, he executed a quick, lethally precise slash and sliced off the Destiny Gundam's right hand at the wrist! Shinn yelled again in impotent rage as electric sparkles sprayed out of the stump!

"Enough of this, Shinn! Can't you see you are being manipulated?" Athrun exclaimed, onceagain attempting to reason with his former pupil. "Durandal is trying to use you as his personal attack dog... he's just telling you what you want to hear, so that you will be loyal to him! But what good will come out of destroying Orb?"

"No one will lose their loved ones anymore if we destroy Orb!" Shinn ranted, even though he was by now a barely coherent mess. He looked to the side and saw that Kira and Raul's units were keeping Rey and the Legend Gundam on their toes, stopping Rey from aiding him...

A series of green energy beams shot out at Raul's Excellence Flier, damaging one of its shoulders and forcing the frame back, with Raul grunting in anger and surprise. The Force Impulse Gundam piloted by Lunamaria had come to the aid of the ZAFT aces, relaying the orders from Talia.

"Luna!" Shinn exclaimed. "What's going on? You weren't supposed to be here!"

"Captail Gladys' orders." Lunamaria answered. "Shinn, Rey... we need to retreat. I have confirmed that Orb has captured Lord Djibril along with the Seirans. We need to fall back!"

"What?" Shinn yelled in rage. "No! Not yet! I still have to settle the score here! I can't retreat now! Not when I'm so close to winning!"

Rey, on the other hand, quickly realized that there was no reason to keep fighting, and that it would be better to retreat and regroup. "Luna is right, Shinn. For now, Orb has the upper hand." Rey answered, detaching himself for the Strike Freedom Gundam and the Excellence Flier... but not before casting a glance at Kira, glaring at him darkly.

"For now, we could not settle this, Kira Yamato." he said as the Legend Gundam began getting away and going back to the Minerva. "But rest assured, next time, I will make sure to destroy you and all you represent."

"Tch... it can't be helped, I guess..." Shinn murmured. Realizing there was no point in continuing further, the angry Coordinator began moving away from Athrun. "This isn't over! Next time we meet, I will destroy you! You can count on it!"

"I... guess it would be pointless to pursue now, would it?" Raul asked Kira with a sarcastic smile. "Just as well. My Excellence Flier has been damaged, and it's in need of repairs. Anyway... you okay, guys?"

"I am... my Strike Freedom didn't take damage at all." Kira said with a relieved smile, after checking his onboard instruments. "Athrun, Ichika... are you two doing well?"

The young male IS pilot nodded gently. "Yes... my shields are still at an acceptable level." he answered. "But... I'm not sure about Athrun... Athrun? Athrun, do you hear me?"

Inside the cockpit of the Infinite Justice, Athrun was barely able to hear Ichika through the communicator, before he passed out and the Infinite Justice began falling out of the sky! Gasping in surprise and worry, Kira drove his Strike Freedom to catch the other Gundam just in time.

"Athrun! Athrun, are you okay? Answer me!" Kira exclaimed in worry. Not hearing any answer from the Infinite Justice, the brown-haired Coordinator grit his teeth and turned to Ichika and Raul. "I'm afraid Athrun overdid it... he hadn't completely healed from his injuries yet. Raul, can you help me take the Infinite Justice back to the Archangel? Ichika... please contact your friends and get them to gather in the command center. I'm sure Cagalli will be glad to see you all again."

"I agree with you on that, Kira!" Ichika answered with his usual good-natured smile, now that his rage had abated. "Alright, I'm sure Charl and the others have done a great job as well! See you later!"

Kira nodded in a gesture of relief as the Byakushiki flew back towards the position the rest of the IS operators were at, while the Strike Freedom and the Excellence Flier carried the now powerless Infinite Justice back to the Archangel. All around them, the surviving Orb forces were re-estabilishing their positions while driving away the ZAFT Mobile Suits - and Raul allowed himself to smile in relief. If anything, Orb has managed to survive the invasion, and hopefully, with Lord Djibril and the traitorous Seirans captured, they would have a better chance of sorting out the whole mess.

"This went well, all things considered..." the red-haired test pilot murmured to himself. "I just hope that Athrun guy does well now..."

As for Ichika, he quickly opened a communication with the IS Academy girls, hoping that they were all doing well. He was relieved when Charlotte's voice answered immediately.

" _Ichika? Ichika, this is Charlotte! We're all safe. The enemy is retreating. We have managed to keep Orb losses to a minimum._ " the blonde France representative replied. " _How are you doing? I could see that the enemy aces have left the battlefield._ "

"Glad to hear you're doing okay, Charl..." Ichika said, breathing a sigh of relief. "We have managed to chase away the Destiny and the Legend, and Chiyufu... I mean, commander Orimura... has captured Lord Djibril and the Seirans. Things are definitely looking up!"

" _We're glad to hear that._ " Charlotte answered, and Ichika could almost feel her ease up after the tense battle. " _Okay... we will regroup at the command center and wait for new orders! See you later, Ichika!_ "

"Later!" Ichika said, interrupting the communication just a couple seconds later, and floated down to the ground, taking a good sight of his home country and how it had held up against the attack from ZAFT. It was lucky that he and his comrades had intervened when they did, or the damage could have been far greater.

The young man smiled melanchonically to himself. " _We did it, Houki. We protected Orb, just as you would have wanted. I'm sure you'd be pretty proud of us... Rin, Kanzashi, we're fighting for you as well. We will not stop until Orb is safe, no matter how far we have to go!_ "

With that, Ichika took off again in order to rejoin the other IS Academy students...

 **oooooooooo**

At the Daedalus Lunar Base, President Joseph Copland was interacting with a mysterious shadowed silhoutte concerning the matter at hand with Djibril, Yuna and Unato having been captured.

"Well, anybody with a brain in his head… can see what kind of little game Durandal is playing here" began the shadowed figure, having a small sip of his tea before continuing. "Then there's Aznable, I'm curious on what he's up to given that intelligence informed me of what happened concerning the Neo Zeon and ZAFT forces at Luna-5."

Copeland frowned as he's currently at a loss of words given the circumstances that transpired not only on Earth but also in space. "Yeah… right…" he spoke only for the figure to interrupt before he could say anything else.

"You know, if they were to take over our world… there would be no place for people like you." he reminded the current president of the Atlantic Federation with a confident expression. "Well not to worry… We'll be launching our counterattack soon enough."

This in turn caused Copeland to glance at the figure in surprise and wondered what exactly the EA officer was talking about. "Durandal will return to space shortly, most likely to rendezvous with Aznable… then when the time comes, the Requiem will begin to play. And everything will end."

"The Requiem?"

"You are an intelligent man, President Copeland…" said the shadowed silhouette with a grin forming on his face, knowing the losses made in the war by far would be worth it as long as nothing else went wrong. "Besides, my troops from Artemis should be on their way here as we speak since there are matters we can discuss with them."

"Artemis, is that so?" Copeland was a bit intrigued that someone from Artemis was going to come meet with them personally. "Very well, I understand" he replied back to the shadowed figured standing beforehand as even without Djibril, they could still make their plans for their counterattack once the time was right and reinforcements arrived to better aid them. "Let us hope that this will bring a swift end to this war… Commandant Garcia…"

 **oooooooooo**

Back on Earth, the battle between Neo Zeon/ZAFT and the Orb Union had concluded with the surviving Orb forces, including the Archangel itself, regrouping and examining the damage that was done. Inside the Oowashi Akatsuki's cockpit, tears slowly formed in Cagalli's eyes as cleanup was being done throughout the neutral nation… while they were able to successfully save Orb from burning again, they might not be so lucky next time should a similar situation ever occur.

As this was happening, the Strike Freedom and the Infinite Justice docked onboard the Archangel alongside Rau's Excellence Flier, with Kira having laid his best friend Athrun onto the ground before taking off his helmet, seeing first hand the condition that he was in. "Athrun!" he muttered, neither he nor Raul were pleased with the condition and how there was even blood dripping freely from the blue-haired young man's forehead down the left side of face.

"Crap!" growled Raul as he saw Kira unzip the former ZAFT ace's pilot suit and saw to their horror the former FAITH member's injuries on his chest began to reopen and he needed to be rushed back to the infirmary as soon as possible.

"Kira…"

Kira frowned and turned his attention towards Murdoch and the rest of the tech crew in the MS hanger. "Get a stretcher" he yelled, knowing that the former Saviour pilot wouldn't last much longer unless he got help fast. "Call the medics, hurry!"

 **oooooooooo**

Outside, Neo was on the top of the Archangel, glancing out at the island of Onogoro as the battle had long since concluded and he reflected on how he chose to return in order to help the white battleship against the Minerva rather than leave the nation as he was originally suggested to. Then again, he was surprised he knew how to handle using the Skygrasper almost immediately since it's the first time he ever operated such a fighter and the fact he couldn't stand to see the brown-haired female Captain in tears influenced in his decision to stay and assist Orb.

"Well here you are" came a familiar female voice and he turned to see that Murrue arrived on the deck to see how he's holding up, still surprised that he returned and with the Skygrasper that he was previously given to boot.

"I had no other place to go" Neo replied to the woman who came to see him, not that he had a problem with it or anything despite the fact that he still had no idea on who this Mu La Flaga guy was or why people refer to him as that man. Yet, his glance returned to the view that was before him as he wanted to properly introduce himself to her. "Neo Roanoke, born November 29th, C.E. 42. From North Luba in the Atlantic Federation. Blood Type: O."

Hearing this made Murrue's eyes widen in complete shock, especially as Neo continued with his introduction to her. "Enlisted in C.E. 60. Assigned to 81st Autonomous Mobile Unit, also known as "Phantom Pain," Captain or so I thought…" She could tell that there were doubts from within the EA Captain's voice when he spoke as if he's slowly starting to realize that he was actually another man beforehand. "But now, I'm not so sure if that's really who I am."

"What?"

Neo soon turned his attention back towards Murrue, looking into her eyes. "I think that maybe… I know you" he said, having made her even more surprised than ever before and he almost immediately looked away. "Yes, I know you. My body knows, my eyes, my ears, my arms my…"

"And that's why I couldn't just fly off" he finished, making Murrue somewhat uneasy at the way he was acting as if he's starting to realize who he truly was now. "I think I know how my hard it's been for you. It's been hard for me too. I would like… to stay right here… with you by your side."

He soon found himself placing his hands onto her shoulders in a reassuring and caring way, seeing her slowly nod her head silently at his request and he then proceeded in hugging the Captain much to her further surprise. She couldn't fight off the tears and held onto him, starting to sob silently at being held by the man whom she loved.

 **oooooooooo**

In the command center, in the meanwhile, Ichika had reunited with Cecilia, Charlotte, Laura and Tatenashi. The girls had just now changed back in their usual clothes, a somewhat modified version of their academy uniforms, and they greeted him back with smiles and waves of their hands.

"You did great out there, Ichika!" Tatenashi said with a nod, giving a thumbs up to the male IS operator. "Looks like all that training you did actually paid off, huh?"

"Are you okay, Ichika?" Cecilia asked in worry.

The young man checked himself one more time and nodded to his friends. "I'm okay, Alcott... just a little tired from all this fighting." he answered. "By the way, where is commander Orimura?"

"Instructor Orimura was with Representative Athha in the command center." Laura answered with a nod. "I believe they are discussing what to do next. Especially now that Lord Djibril and the Seirans have been captured."

"I understand." Ichika answered, still feeling a little faint from all the fighting that had been going on. "Well... looks like we have gotten ourselves a moment of respite. We should... make the most out of it, I guess."

Charlotte nodded, hoping to herself that she and Ichika would have the time to enjoy a few hours of each other's company, perhaps on a nice stroll along the coastline. Truth be told, she felt a little selfish thinking about this, and when Ichika probably was still not over the deaths of Houki, Rin and Kanzashi... but she was sure that Cecilia and Laura's thoughts were around the same lines too.

" _To think that things were so simple, back in the day..._ " Charlotte thought to herself, honestly missing those days where all they had in mind was trying to win Ichika's heart and this mutual, yet respectful, rivalry. Now that IS Academy was no more, and they had been thrusted into the harsh reality of war, those days seemed to be so far away...

 **oooooooooo**

Night had come, and Athrun finally woke up as Raul brought some food for him to eat, though he didn't look too pleased to see the blue-haired former ZAFT pilot trying to move again. "Hey, take it easy okay?' Raul informed of his new friend and fellow pilot, having him placed back into the bed before the wounds opened up even more. "Are you okay?"

"But that's the wrong question to ask Athrun" Kira joked as he and Lacus entered to see that the newly assigned pilot of the Infinite Justice was now up but not exactly well enough to move again. "Since he'll always say he is."

"Yes, that's true."

"Point taken…" Raul replied back, still hoping that Fiona, Lahge and Mitsuko were having a better time in space than he was here on Earth… especially as with Djibril, Yuna and Unato finally brought to justice, they at least needed to do their best in hopefully bring an end to the conflict before things got worse.

"I really am alright..." Athrun tried to protest and yet Kira smiled at his best friend, glad to see that the blue-haired male pilot was starting to see the truth ever since the events that transpired up until this very point and hopefully they would do their best to stop the death and destruction now that they've gotten additional assistance.

"That's good to hear." Kira told him, causing Athrun to look down as he for a brief moment and then looked at his best friend and Lacus once more as Kira continued. "It's good that we can talk like this again."

With that, Athrun looked away again for a brief moment as if he wasn't in the mood to talk for the time being though Kira decided to speak again. "We take things for granted when times are peaceful, and we quickly forget... but moments like this are among the happiest of life."

While he was grateful for a chance to rest up a bit after a tough battle, he knew that it wouldn't last for long so they needed to do what they can to make the most of it…

"Kira…"

Athrun didn't know what else to say; given that this was the first time he and Kira ever got a chance to talk to one another properly since the end of the previous war. "Do you mind if I turn on the TV?" Kira asked the former ZAFT redcoat turned Orb pilot out of curiosity. "Cagalli's making an official statement."

"Oh, good ahead" he answered, allowing Kira to turn on the TV and the image revealed Cagalli in her office, being prepared to make an announcement to everyone on Earth and in space because it was about time she took her role as Orb's Chief Representative more seriously from this point on.

"She's going to make her intentions clear" said Kira upon having turned the TV on to his twin sister and hopefully this would at least lesson the tensions between the PLANTs and the Orb Union though Char's going to be another story given what the Archangel and the Eternal learned from Bright Noah and his crew from the Ral Karam concerning Luna-5. "We'll deal with the repercussions later."

 **oooooooooo**

At the Orb Cabinet Building, Cagalli was just about ready to deliver her speech to the world and to those living in the colonies. "This is the Chief Representative of the Orb Union, Cagalli Yula Attha" she spoke in a stern voice, knowing that Durandal, who was in Gibraltar getting ready to return to the PLANTs, and Char, still in the depths of space somewhere, were watching this as they would be curious on what she had in mind. "Today, I'm using the media to the entire world. In order to deliver a message to Chairman Gilbert Durandal of the PLANTs Supreme Council regarding his demands to hand over Lord Djibril and his subsequent decision to invade our country."

Even the crew of the Minerva were surprised to see the media, then again Cagalli had not only handed Djibril over to them but also Yuna and Unato, both of which had been in league with him and were responsible for the alliance between Orb and the Earth Alliance which made Talia unsure of what to make any of this now. "Chairman Durandal's recent speech denouncing the group known as LOGOS, along with the various pieces of evidence supporting his accusations had a great impact on all of us" she spoke, hoping that this would be enough to make things between Orb and the PLANTs a lot better than when Yuna manipulated her into accepting the alliance with the EA. "The Chairman called for the destruction of LOGOS and an end to all war in this world. These are fine sentiments and I can't deny that I found them appealing. Both as a politician dealing with the world's present state of confusion and as a private individual. However there is more to this situation…"

As this was happening, there was static that caught Athrun's attention and surely enough, Meer Campbell was now on the screen as she had something to say on the matter herself. "My friends, it is I Lacus Clyne" she spoke to everyone, still posing as Lacus ever since Athrun met her at the PLANTs before he rejoined ZAFT and was given the Saviour from Durandal.

Even those at the Orb Cabinet Building couldn't believe what they were now seeing, as if Durandal didn't want to take any chances that could either hinder his plans or sever he alliance with Char. "Cagalli!" Kisaka spoke, not liking the look of this one bit.

"The other day there was a fierce battle that took place at Orb, I'm certain everyone knows of it" Meer continued her announcement to everyone on Earth and in space, making Cagalli frown as this was going to get them nowhere with this girl pretending to be Lacus being used to help Durandal more than ever. "Why would a nation that was once such a good friend to the PLANTs make the decisions to shelter this Djibril person within its borders… I'm still having a difficult time understanding this."

"Why would Orb be willing to go to war to protect this man, the leader of Blue Cosmos, a man who doesn't hesitate to fire nuclear weapons at the PLANTs," she made everyone ask themselves this question, all while Durandal secretly smiled to himself as one couldn't be too careful when it came to Orb. "Who uses weapons of mass destruction to burn down whole cities, who uses children as tools in combat? What makes you think Orb can regain our trust even after they handed him over to us?"

Needless to say, Lacus decided she needed to take action and fast before this got out of hand, then turned her attention towards Kira as she needed his help. "Okay Kira, I think I've heard enough" she spoke, while she held no ill-will towards Meer, something had to be done about the speech being made.

"Uh, Lacus?" asked Athrun, becoming confused by what his former fiancé had in mind regarding what Durandal was doing and he saw the expression on her and Kira's faces since they had to act quickly to counter this.

"Don't worry, Athrun" said Lacus with a reassuring smile on her face as she had a plan that could help everyone in Orb and maybe more so. "Just like you, I know what I have to do."

This made Athrun even more surprised, watching as Lacus left the infirmary with Kira, who had a hand around her since he's the only one capable of getting her to her destination due to his best friend still being wounded and Raul having to look after him for the time being.

 **oooooooooo**

A while later, Meer Campbell, the young woman acting as a false Lacus for ZAFT and as a mouthpiece for Durandal's propaganda, was still making her speech to everyone on Earth and in space.

"Our world is filled with all sorts of temptations. There is no crime in wanting better things, in wanting more than what you had before" she said, showing genuine concerns over what happened. "However, LOGOS is different. It should not be allowed to exist. There is no place for such evil in this world of ours. What we're trying to do is…"

Suddenly the broadcast got interrupted again, this time changing to Cagalli and the real Lacus Clyne which shocked everyone watching this, even Durandal and Char upon noticing that the real Lacus was in the Orb Union. "Please do not be deceived by the appearance of that person" said Lacus, giving a sincere smile as it was about time the world knew the whole truth. "Hello my friends, my name is Lacus Clyne."

 **oooooooooo**

"Impossible!" began Durandal, still at a complete loss of words by what he was seeing. "What is she doing in Orb?"

" _I know that there's someone out there working together with Chairman Durandal, someone with the same face, the same voice and the same name"_ Lacus continued, wanting to reveal her presence to the world as it was about time she officially came out of hiding and to entrust the truth to everyone who was currently watching this. _"However, I… am the real daughter of Siegel Clyne and I was the one who joined forces with the Archangel and fought in the last war. I am still with that ship alongside the representative of Orb. "_

The crew of the Minerva was still at a loss of words, even more so now that they were aware that there were actually two Lacus Clynes out there and the real one had been with the Archangel ever since the conclusion of the previous war between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance this entire time. _"She and I are two completely different people and our beliefs are just as different as well"_ Lacus stood determined, no longer wanting to stand by and allow this charade to continue. _"I want everyone to be aware of that."_

As everyone on Earth and the colonies were becoming more confused over the revelation that was being unveiled to them, Meer couldn't believe that this was happening. _"I agree with neither Chairman Durandal's words nor his actions,"_ Lacus confidently spoke on and made Meer even more uneasy with learning Lacus was in Orb, a nation that protected the leader of Blue Cosmos up till now.

"Discontinue our broadcast now." Durandal ordered, not wanting this to continue any longer and feared it might hinder being allied with Char should he ever watch this from his command ship.

" _Yes, sir. But we're live…"_

"I don't care, just cut it off now." Durandal interrupted, becoming rather angry over this new turn of events and refused to lose the support he previously gained from everyone on the planet or in space all because of this interruption. "We're playing right into their hands like this."

" _Yes, sir."_

" _Those who fight are not to blame and neither are those who choose not to fight"_ Lacus informed those still watching, even after Durandal had his broadcast cut off, and hoped that there was a chance to speak with Meer properly when this was all over. _"The ones to blame are the people who make us fight. LOGOS, the merchants of death but is what the Chairman is saying the whole truth?"_

 **oooooooooo**

At Daedalus, Gerald Garcia started to chuckle to himself as he saw Lacus Clyne had started to counter Durandal after a long hiatus. "Now this is amusing…!" he said to himself, even more so after hearing that the Archangel was no longer part of the Earth Alliance following the disastrous battle at JOSH-A but rather had joined the Orb Union's military since then. "A pity that she won't be around much longer once we make our strike against Terminal, Neo Zeon and the PLANTs that is."

For now, he simply wanted to watch the rest of the broadcast with a curious expression on his face as he wanted to see what Lacus does from this point on. _"Is that the real story here?"_ she asked again, hoping the people will start to see the truth first hand. _"The Naturals aren't to blame, neither are the Coordinators. Just blame someone else. Blame the world itself. He tells you you're not to blame but please do not become trapped in his web of lies."_

With that said, Garcia laughed once again as this was going better than anything he had in mind and how this made Terminal more resourceful than expected. "This is brilliant!" he declared, turning his attention towards the two soldiers with him as the announcement continued. "Get a hold of this young lady from Orb immediately."

" _Before I am misunderstood, please understand that I'm not defending Mr. Djibril"_ she was starting to understand that revealing her presence might not be enough to stop the conflict as there's still going to be a lot more to do before this was truly over. _"However, I simply do not trust Chairman Durandal. Friends please; we must look beneath the surface and find out what the Chairman's objectives are."_

Garcia frowned. It looked like they were not going to get through to Lacu, no matter how they tried. "On second thought, I think trying to convince Lacus to join us would be a waste of time. Better to make sure that the Requiem is operative soon." he continued.

"We... understand, sir." one of the soldiers answered. "So... we're going directly to the final part of the plan?"

Garcia nodded with a dark scowl on his face. "We are going to sing a requiem for Durandal and his whole kind... very soon indeed!"

 **oooooooooo**

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Author's Note: I apologize for the rather long time it took me to update this story, but real life can be a harsh mistress, and I also felt compelled to write other stories in the meantime.**

 **The battle of Orb and Operation Fury come to a close, with Orb having managed to come out on top this time. I'm betting many of you were surprised to see Ichika becoming much more of a badass than canon... but hey, it's one of the things Super Robot Wars is known for, after all. Granted, his newfound competence had a pretty steep price to pay... He and the surviving IS girls aren't the innocent teenagers they used to be any more.**

 **Kira and his friends managed to defeat their enemies, but there is a nasty surprise in store for them! As it seems, even with Lord Djibril safely locked up, someone else might just get Requiem online and firing... and it's someone we know from the beginning of Gundam SEED!**

 **Oh yeah, EmperorDraco7 and I found out there is going to be a fourth Full Metal Panic! anime airing in Japan on April under the name Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory… I might consider giving it a watch sometime during my spare time.**

 **Well... I really have nothing more to say! I hope you liked this new chapter, and I assure you I will be back soon with another chapter for Super Robot Taisen S Zero Reload (maybe even Super Robot Wars Ragnarok and/or Super Robot Taisen G Redux, the latter I really need to get back on track)! See you later!**

 **Lily**


	9. Nu Gundam To The Rescue

**SUPER ROBOT TAISEN S REVAMPED**

 **oooooooooo**

 **Chapter 9 - Nu Gundam to the Rescue**

In a secluded room, several important personalities of both the Earth and Jupiter military were discussing the worrying events that had occurred at the Amaterasu colony - in particular, the reemergence of the former admiral of the Jovian Empire army, Haruki Kusakabe, and the reveal of the organization known as Martian Successors.

"And so, the infamous Admiral Haruki Kusakabe, whom we had thought to have died during the Jovian Hot Blooded Rebellion three years ago, has turned up alive and at the top of a dangerous terrorist organization that has been using our own Bosom Jumping technology against us." Kouichiro Misumaru summed up, talking to the officers of the Earth - Jupiter alliance who were taking part in the emergency reunion. Among those, Admiral Misumaru had recognized his colleague and friend Munetake, whose son had taken part in the first mission of the Nadesico crew and had unfortunately lost his life in the middle of it; and Commander Akiyama of the Jovian Union, captain of the battleship named Kannazuki, which had given the Nadesico A an hard time during the final days of the war. "It seems that the Martian Successors, that's the name of Kusakabe's organization, have managed to infiltrate various layers of the Earth - Jovian alliance military and politics, and the Hisago Plan was nothing but their own complicated ruse to build up a Bosom Jumping net which would allow them to strike unimpeded anytime and anyplace."

"Indeed, from what we've seen, many important figures in both Earth and Jupiter government are sympathizing with Kusakabe and his so-called "crusade" to... to paraphrase their own belief... 'cleanse the universe of any iniquity and impurity, and usher in a new era of absolute righteousness'." Munetake answered, looking at a screen on the wall of the darkened conference room, which showed some of the turncoat officers, politicians and personnel. "The Martian Successors are being backed up by the Crimson Group, Nergal's most significant competitor... and among the many who threw their lot in with Kusakabe, we have discovered many important figures among the scientific and military personnel of the Jovian Empire... among which, Vice-Commander Aritomo Shinjo and top researcher Prof. Yoshio Yamasaki, both of which were in charge of the Hisago Plan alongside Commodore Azuma at the Amaterasu colony."

"Speaking of Commodore Azuma... has anybody heard of him since the capture of the colony?" another officer asked. "He's obviously been captured by Kusakabe and his loyalists, but we still don't know what happened to him after that..."

"We have no idea as well. Every attempt to contact Kusakabe and the Martian Successors has for now resulted in our communications being refused." Munetake answered. "We're still holding out hope that he and his men are somehow still alive, but we have no proof for or against this assumption..."

"About this matter..." Kouichiro Misumaru interjected, this time looking at Commander Akiyama of the Jovian Empire. "Commander Akiyama, you have served under former Admiral Haruki Kusakabe during the Earth-Jupiter war, a few years ago. Can you tell us what kind of man he is?"

"I most certainly can, Admiral Misumaru." Akiyama answered, almost proudly. "Admiral Kusakabe is a passionate man, a man of honor who would be willing to die for his cause. This is how he always came across to me, when I served under him." Just then, his demeanor turned solemn, with an almost sarcastic edge, and he shrugged his shoulders... "The problem is, he cannot accept the idea that his ideals may just not be everyone else's ideals. His way is the right way. His way is the only way."

"I see." Kouichiro answered, nodding his head. This was sure to give everyone trouble... Kusakabe was a fanatic with whom there was no reasoning, and this didn't bide well for Commodore Azuma's chances... "Anyway, this threat is quite dire, and merits our full attention. Therefore, I ask that everyone put their personal matters on the back burner for now, and give your contribution to stopping the Martian Successors. Terminal, as of now, is too embroiled in their own battle against Neo Zeon and ZAFT to be of any help against our new enemy. We have to make do with what we have, and with the crew of the Nadesico A, that Captain Ruri Hoshino will be trying to re-gather soon."

"We understand, Admiral Misumaru. Rest assured that we will do our best to stop the Martian Successors." Akiyama answered, his gesture of confidence immediately followed up by that of several officers from both sides.

A dire threat was looming upon everyone... and despite the Earth and Jupiter governments working together, the chances looked grim indeed...

 **oooooooooo**

As the Nadesico B was slowly proceeding on its way, Fiona, Lahge and Mitsuko were standing on the main bridge, keeping an eye on the instruments and being careful for any possible threat that could show up. Neo Zeon and ZAFT fleets had been sighted in the proximities, and in the Nadesico B's actual state, a battle against them could have proven dangerous indeed...

Fiona stared melancholically at the screen in front of her before sighing and rubbing her tired eyes, her hand casually flicking back a few bangs of red hair. "Okay... the coast is clear for now." she said. "Captain Hoshino, are we clear on our next move?"

"We are." the teenaged captain answered, not even turning to her. After the all-too-short meeting with her adoptive father at the Amaterasu Colony, Ruri had been even more serious and focused than usual, which was no surprise to the red-haired pilot. "We are heading to the Londenion colony to resupply, and afterwards we're heading back to Earth to gather the old Nadesico crew. Also, we are going to meet up with our allies from Mithril. We'll need their help if we are to stand a chance against Kusakabe and his Martian Successors."

"Tell us about it..." Fiona answered. "Those six monk guys and the red one were really tough... if only there were more of us, we could fight them on a more equal footing."

"By the way, could you tell us about Mithril? I'm afraid we aren't exactly up to speed with several current events."

"Yes of course." Hari answered. "Mithril is an anti-terrorist organization possessing superior technologies and weapon systems. Their purpose is to stop regional conflicts, as well as securing the Whispered without taking any sides. It's a very secretive organization, and we are among the few ones who even know of its existence."

Fiona blinked twice. "Well, that's very interesting, but... who are the Whispered, exactly?" she asked, having never heard that definition before that.

It was Ruri who answered this time. "Whispered are people who are capable of creating devices that are far more advanced than those of present time." she explained flatly. "They have very advanced intuitive knowledge of numerous fields of maths, science, technology and engineering. For this reason, they are highly sought after by those who would exploit their talents. Mithril's objective is to give shelter and protection to Whispered."

"Quite a few members of Mithril are Whispered themselves." Hari continued, feeling somewhat awkward in talking about that. After all, he and Ruri were not exactly all that different from a Whispered themselves, even though there were several key differences. "The captain of the submarine Tuatha De Danaan, Teletha Testarossa, is a Whispered... as well as Chidori Kaname, a bridge operator on the Ral Kairam."

"We will probably have need of their support as well as those of the old Nadesico crew if we are to succeed..." Ryoko, who was sitting nearby, said before sighing wistfully. It had been quite a long time since she had seen her fellow pilots Hikaru Amano and Izumi Maki, and while she had heard about how their lives had turned out - Hikaru, the perky otaku of the trio, had become a budding manga artist, while the spaced-out Izumi had somehow managed to make a living out of owning a bar - they hadn't really kept in contact much. It was like going back in time... and she didn't know whether to think it was a good thing or not.

"Heh... it's just like the old times, ain't it?" Ryoko continued, somewhat bitterly. "I mean, it will be the three of us fighting together again, and doing some of our usual crazy shit during downtime. When they say that things don't change..."

"Well, miss, actually they do change sometimes..." Saburouta told her, approaching her with an unmistakable womanizing intent. Whatever possessed the serious and focused Jovian ace pilot to change so much and become a lady-killer wannabe, Ryoko and Ruri would never understand. "For example, now you also have a dashing knight in shining armor ready to come to your aid whenever needed! You just have to say the word!" He winked, and Ryoko felt a blood vessel pop up on her forehead in annoyance.

"Yeah, well... you try any of your womanizing stunts on my friends, and I'll personally make sure you can't have any children!" Ryoko shot back hotly. "Am I making myself clear, pal?"

Saburouta stepped back and made a surrender gesture with his hands, but never lost his carefree attitude. "Well, they say forewarned is forearmed, so... guess I'll be stepping back!" he jokingly said, as Ryoko groaned in annoyance, and Hari muttered something under his breath about certain dual-colored perverts getting their due. Fiona and Mitsuko, on the other hand, couldn't help but giggle behind their hands, amused by the little show... and Lahge, true to form, was tuning the craziness out and pretending nothing was actually happening...

"Seriously, one would think that the Jovians would be very much asexuated, what with their culture being built around an anime..." Hari murmured, before turning his attentions back to the screens. "Navigation is clear for now, Captain Hoshino. With this speed, we should be arriving in Londenion in about three hours."

"Good enough." Ruri answered. "We'll just have to keep up the pace, and hope we are no intercepted by any enemy fleet. Just in case... pilots Subaru, Takasugi and Grayden, I want you all to be ready to sortie at any moment. Please, get to the hangars and await for orders."

All the pilots stood up from their places on the bridge and, after answering affirmatively to the order, began walking quickly towards the hangars... stopping only when they heard Hari shout out in alarm! "C-captain Hoshino! Some hostiles have just entered the Nadesico's radar's range! They seem to be ZAFT and Neo Zeon units, fighting against a smaller number of Earth Alliance units... but I can't give more information for now! We're too distant from the place!"

Ruri's facial expression never once faltered, but those who knew her could sense that she was quite bewildered by the whole thing. "This is strange... what are ZAFT and Neo Zeon trying to achieve, with such an attack?" she asked, talking more to herself than anyone else. "Anyway, we can't remain indifferent to this. All pilots, take your positions! We'll intervene as soon as we're within range. Hari, can you give me an estimate of the opposing forces?"

"Right away!" Hari answered, willing a few more screens into existence with a simple thought. "From what I can gather, it's a group of ZAKU Warriors and Geara Doga, against a smaller number of Murasames and Jegans... and... it seems that a civilian shuttle is wandering around the place! If the battle isn't stopped, the civilians run the risk of getting caught in the crossfire!"

"Damn..." Fiona cursed. "What's the meaning of this?"

 **oooooooooo**

On the Ral Kairam, the situation wasn't any less hectic...

"Captain Noah!" Meyrin reported from her console. "The enemy has started moving again! They're engaging a group of allies in the proximities of Side 1!"

"I see that... They're right between the Moon and Side 1. What are Char and Chairman Durandal hoping to accomplish with this?" Bright Noah said, asking the question more to himself than to anyone else as he quickly inspected the screens.

"I have no idea, Captain Noah... but there's also a civilian shuttle near the battlefield! If we don't stop the battle, the civilians will be at great risk!" Meyrin answered, as she anxiously observed the lights on the screen getting closer and closer. A few minutes more, and the shuttle would have gotten itself in the heat of battle!

"We cannot allow this to happen... contact Amuro, Judau and Roux at the Moon HQ, and try to get them to rescue our allies and the shuttle." Bright ordered. Meyrin quickly nodded and answered with an affirmative, before frantically opening a channel to the Anaheim HQ, hoping it would not reach their ace pilots too late...

 **oooooooooo**

Amuro Ray, sitting in the near-finished Nu Gundam's cockpit, was at the time busy getting a good look at the revolutionary Mobile suit's specs, and especially at the blueprints of the Psyco Frame. There was something that troubled him about the whole deal... it was a known fact that Anaheim Electronics produced weapons for both the New Earth Federation and the Neo Zeon / ZAFT alliance, and there was also the fact that the Psyco Frame was still a largely unknown technology, whose origins were still shrouded in mystery. It was all too probable that Char was already aware of its existence, and if it was indeed true, this would have opened up new and puzzling possibilities...

He was interrupted from his reverie when the Nu Gundam's hatch opened, revealing Chan, already wearing a normal suit. The young Chinese woman looked to be somewhat in haste... and after Amuro heard what she had to say, it came as no surprise as to why. "Captain Amuro, we've got a new communication from Ral Kairam." she reported. "It seems that the Neo Zeon and ZAFT forces are attacking again... some of our forces are fighting them near the Moon as we speak, and a civilian shuttle is dangerously approaching them."

"I see..." Amuro answered, setting the blueprints aside as he allowed Chan to climb onboard and get on a back seat. "In this case, we'll move to intercept them. It's a good chance to test this Nu Gundam's capabilities. What about Judau and Roux? Have they been given the same orders?"

"Yes... but the ZZ Gundam is still not in fighting shape." Chan answered as she got seated. "We can only count on the Gundam Mk-3 as a support in this mission."

"We'll make do." the Newtype ace answered. "Very well, then, let's go."

Chan nodded, as the Nu Gundam's hatch closed above them. "I've already given instructions to Mr. October and the other technicians to send a sample of the Psyco Frame to Terminal HQ, and they've told me they would do that right away."

"Good." Amuro concluded, as another comm window opened up beside him, showing Roux's face.

"Captain Amuro, the Gundam Mk-3 is ready for takeoff." the former AEUG pilot reported. "I'll follow your lead."

"I'm afraid I'll have to sit this one out. The ZZ Gundam is still being worked on." Judau went on, his comm window opening up as well. "I can only wish you both the best of luck. Please, be careful."

"We will." Amuro finished. "Mass driver booster activated. Nu Gundam, take off!"

"Aren't we always careful?" Roux answered, winking and blowing a small kiss to Judau before turning her mind fully to the task at hand. "Roux Louka, Gundam MK-3 ready to go!"

A few seconds later, the Nu Gundam took flight for the first time, a white and blue blur against the blackness of space, the Gundam Mk-3 following not too far behind...

 **oooooooooo**

The Ral Kairam, in the meanwhile, had approached the battle, reaching it just in time to stop the Neo Zeon and ZAFT forces from destroying the inferior New Earth Alliance battalion... and now, the battleship was trying to disrupt the enemy's advancement as much as possible, strafing the enemy with long-range fire before launching a group of Jegans and Murasames.

"Side cannons, fire a salvo!" Bright was ordering. "All the Jegan units get in position and return fire!"

Not very far from them, the melee was frantic, though the Geara Doga and ZAKU Warrior units still seemed to be in a slight advantage. A customized blue Geara Doga, a ZGMF-1001/M Blaze ZAKU Phantom and what appeared to be a second ZGMF-X56S Impulse Gundam, with a silhouette pack reminiscing the ZGMF-X42S Destiny Gundam, were leading the charge... piloted respectively by Sgt. Rezun Schneider, one of the few Oldtypes in Neo Zeon's army, and by Durandal loyalist Mare Strode, a ZAFT ace of reknown alongside Riika Sheder.

"Hmph! These guys are child's play!" Rezun snarked, as her Geara Doga skewered a Jegan with its weapon. Rezun was a tough-looking woman with long marroon hair, known for being quite contemptful of both Newtypes and Coordinators... but nonetheless, she was a firm believer in Neo Zeon's ideals and her fighting and leadership skills were noticeable, so she still managed to have a place among Char's loyalists. "If this is the best the New Earth Federation and Terminal can come up with, then our war is as good as won."

"Let's not lower our guard just now." Mare, a young boy with somewhat short blue hair, warned against complacency as his ZGMF-X56S/0 Destiny Impulse Gundam dodged a few lasers from a Murasame's beam rifle and retaliated with an MMI-710 "Excalibur" Anti-Ship Laser Sword. "They've obviously sent a distress call, and it's just a matter of time before they get more reinforcements."

"Whatever, we still managed to get what we needed." Rezun answered. "With all this ruckus, it will be a simple matter for the Colonel to reach Londenion unnoticed. But still, I'd like to get a shot at the Ral Kairam..."

In the meantime, both the Nu Gundam and the Gundam Mk-3 were approaching the battle... just as the civilian shuttle they had taken notice of earlier became visible through the Mobile Suits' external cameras. A few minutes more, and it would have been under fire...

"Captain Amuro, the civilian shuttle is nearing the danger zone." Roux announced, forcing the Gundam MK-3 to the greatest speed it could muster. "If we are to intervene, we have to do it now."

"Acknowledge, Lieutenant Louka... but it will be a tall order from such a distance." Chan answered, taking a look at the flashing lights of the battle. "Amuro, do you think we have a chance from here?"

The Newtype ace smiled slightly. "Don't worry, Chan, the Nu Gundam has been created for such situations as well." he answered. "I will do it."

The Nu Gundam raised its beam rifle and carefully took aim before unleashing a volley of green laser beams, which struck two Geara Doga and a ZAKU Warrior head on, destroying them on impact and throwing the Neo Zeon and ZAFT forces in temporary disarray! Rezun cursed under her breath and turned to the new coming opponents, just in time to see the incredibly fast Gundam Mk-3 approaching another ZAKU Warrior unit and destroying it with a well-placed sword swipe that beheaded the enemy.

"Well, well, what do we have here... one of the pilots that gave Commander Joule and his team some trouble!" Mare murmured to himself. The Destiny Impulse turned to the enemy, and he fired a few shots to keep the Gundam MK-3 at bay, but the opposing Gundam nimbly dodged all of them before slicing another Gear Doga apart. Another shot coming from the Nu Gundam's beam rifle destroyed another ZAKU Warrior, and the rest of the Neo Zeon / ZAFT joint forces began a fighting retreat.

"Damn, here come their reinforcements..." Rezun muttered. "And to think we were two steps away from taking down the Ral Kairam itself... that would have been a decisive strike!"

"Eh, well... let's just be content with what we managed to do." Riika, a young woman in her early twenties with puffy shoulder-length orange hair and thick looking glasses, said from the cockpit of her ZGMF-1001/M Blaze ZAKU Phantom. "For now, the mission is complete. To all units, follow our lead! We'll clear the area and head back to the Rewloola."

"Acknowledge!" a few soldiers answered. The Neo Zeon / ZAFT forces began retreating, only stopping to shoot some suppressing fire at the pursuing enemies, just as the civilian shuttle was just a few kilometres away from the battle...

Inside the shuttle, a pair of teenagers was looking out of a window in fear and curiosity, admiring in awe the Mobile Suits that had saved them and the other passengers. As the Nu Gundam approached the shuttle in a protective way, their eyes were immediately drawn to it...

"That's the Mobile Suit that fired earlier..." Quess Paraya said. "It looks like an angel..."

"That's it! It's that new Gundam they were building at Anaheim!" Hathaway Noah intervened enthusiastically. "It's the Nu Gundam!"

However, Amuro, Chan and Roux did not share the young boy's enthusiasm as they watched the enemy Mobile Suits retreat. Something was off about that attack... and this retreat was doing nothing but confirm the two aces' suspicions.

"They're retreating so soon?" Chan asked. "They barely even put up a fight... what's up with that?"

"This attack was just a distraction..." Roux deduced. "They wanted to draw our attention away from something else, though I have no idea what."

Amuro nodded. "In any case, we've managed to rescue the shuttle. We'll escort it to the Ral Kairam and make sure the civilians are safely placed on board."

 **oooooooooo**

Meyrin breathed out and smiled in relief as the Nu Gundam and the Gundam MK-3 escorted the shuttle and the surviving Mobile Suits back to the Ral Kairam's hangars. As they approached, she couldn't help sparing a good appreciative glance to the newborn Mobile Suit. With those wing-like funnels and its spotless white chassis, the Nu Gundam really looked magnificent, and if its performance was anything to go by, it meant a potent weapon in their possession!

"Captain Noah, the Neo Zeon and ZAFT forces are retreating." Meyrin reported. "The Nu Gundam and the Gundam MK-3 are approaching us. They request permission for the shuttle and its passengers to be taken onboard."

"Permission granted." Bright answered with a nod. "Open a communication with the shuttle's pilots and give them the green light for boarding us."

"Right away..." the red-haired comm operator answered, before another object appeared on the radar. "Huh? Captain Noah, we've got another object on the radar! It's approaching us at constant speed... now identified as the Nadesico B! They are back from their mission at the Amaterasu colonies!"

"What? The Nadesico B?" Bright asked in slight surprise. "That's good news. We'll hail them and ask if they can lend us a hand with the civilians. Are they trying to get in contact with us?"

"They are, Captain." Chidori answered from a seat near Meyrin's. "I'll patch Captain Hoshino through."

Bright nodded, and a few seconds later, Ruri Hoshino's pale face, framed by silver gray hair, appeared on a comm screen above the captain's seat. Her expression remained neutral and professional, and yet Bright could sense that there was something that was vexing her, something beyond their mission or the failed stoppage of Luna-5. However, neither of the captains wanted to dwell on such things, and they quickly greeted each other with a military salute.

"Captain Bright Noah." Ruri said. "The Nadesico B has come across you and an allied fleet fighting against some Neo Zeon and ZAFT forces, and we came as soon as we could to give you support."

"I appreciate the concern, Captain Hoshino." Bright answered, returning the salute. "However, we have managed to drive away the attacking enemies, also thanks to the aid of Captain Ray's new Mobile Suit, the Nu Gundam. There are no more enemies to worry about."

"That's good to know." Ruri answered. "Still, the Nadesico B will act as support for the eventual rescue of civilians from the endangered shuttle."

Bright nodded to himself. That was exactly what he had wanted to ask the young captain. "Thank you, Captain Hoshino, that makes things quite a bit easier on us." he answered. "The Ral Kairam already has limited space as it is, and it would have been a little problematic for us to take that many people on board. Alright then... let the shuttle board the Nadesico B. The civilians will be taken on board of her. The Nu Gundam and the Gundam MK-3 will instead board the Ral Kairam. We have to extend our thanks to them for taking us out of a serious predicament."

"Captain, there's something strange going on." Chidori said suddenly. "A life capsule detached itself from the shuttle, and seems to be heading towards us."

"What?" the veteran captain asked in puzzlement, as the capsule was being escorted to the Ral Kairam by the Gundam MK-3...

 **oooooooooo**

Some time later, in the Ral Kairam's hangars, as the lifepod had been retrieved, a father-son reunion was taking place...

"Daddy!" Hathaway Noah exclaimed, climbing down from the lifepod along with the other two passengers he had been sitting with during the travel. The young boy enthusiastically ran to his father and hugged him, to which Bright responded in kind.

"Hathaway, I was worried about you when I heard what happened in Lahsa..." the Ral Kairam's captain said. "But... aren't Mom and Cheimin with you? Where are they now?"

"They remained on Earth... there were problems with the departing shuttles, and only I was able to board the latest flight to space." Hathaway answered. "Mom and Cheimin have left Lahsa by train, and now they should be looking for another way to join us in space. But they're fine, so don't worry about them."

"I'm glad to know..." Bright said in relief. "But tell me... how did you manage to get a place in that shuttle?"

Hathaway motioned to the fedora-wearing man behind him. "It was thanks to Mr. Paraya here... he offered me a place on the last shuttle." he said. "It's all thanks to him if I could come."

Bright nodded and then turned to Adenauer Paraya and to the pigtailed girl following him close behind, obviously his daughter, from what the Ral Kairam captain recalled of him. Adenauer, for his part, tipped his fedora hat forward and spoke in a polite, yet condescending manner... as if it was only his right to be taken on board of the ship and wherever he wanted to go. "I apologize for getting in your way right in this moment, Captain Bright Noah." he greeted.

"Think nothing of it, Mr. Paraya..." Bright answered, keeping a neutral demeanor. "It was only our duty to rescue the civilians on board that shuttle."

"Indeed. But I have not come for idle chatter." the New Earth Federation ambassador answered. "Please, make to the Londenion colony. I have been charged with a special mission for which I have to reach that colony. Do I make myself clear?"

Bright was somewhat taken aback by the man's all too assertive attitude, but didn't comment on it. After a brief moment of silence, he settled for a diplomatic answer which he hoped would make everyone happy. "Well... in all actuality, we were also heading for Londenion to resupply and perform some tests on our latest Mobile Suits, so we have no problem with that." he answered. "Therefore... well... make yourselves comfortable. We'll be on our way to Londenion soon."

"I appreciate that." Adenauer said. "Let's go, Quess. We don't want to be in the way here."

The turquoise-haired girl nodded, somewhat tiredly. "Yes, father..." she answered, before following the New Earth Federation ambassador down a corridor, dragging her suitcase along... at least until, a little to her surprise, Hathaway offered to carry it for her. Quess looked at him quizzically for a little while, but graciously accepted his offer.

Soon after, both Amuro and Roux, whose Gundams had safely boarded the ship, joined Bright, with Chan not far behind. "Captain Noah, that man over there..." Roux ventured, her reddish eyes affixed on the corridor where the Federation executive has disappeared into. "He seems to be some important personality, am I wrong?"

"Indeed he is..." the captain answered, sounding somewhat cross. "He's Adenauer Paraya, an ambassador for the New Earth Federation. To be fair, I don't like him that much... he's self-centered and would do anything to get a good deal for himself. Still, he's a high-ranking Federation executive, and protocol must be respected. By the way, I have to thank the both of you for your intervention. We would have been in trouble had you not intervened when you did. And I have to say, Amuro, the Nu Gundam looks pretty impressive."

"Indeed, it's quite a powerful machine..." Amuro commented with a slight nod. "Though, something did bug us about the recent attack..."

Bright was quick to catch on. "It did seem to me that the Neo Zeon and ZAFT forces withdrew a little too quickly. It was as if they were just trying to distract us from somewhere else, though I cannot imagine what their objective would be... we'll have to look into that." he said, before glancing at the Nu Gunam and Gundam Mk-3. "I see that Lt. Ashta has been unable to come..."

"Unfortunately, yes..." Roux answered with a sigh. "The ZZ Gundam is still under repair, and was not in any condition to join us. Judau said he'll get in contact with us later, and will join us as soon as possible, but for now, he will not be available."

"I see..." Bright answered. "Well, for now, the fact that the Nadesico B, as well as Mithril, has rendezvous with us makes up for that. We'll take care of the more urgent matters first, such as reaching Londenion and resupplying."

Amuro and Roux nodded, as the Ral Kairam and the Nadesico B continued their journey...

 **oooooooooo**

The crew of the Nadesico B, for their part, had been quick to greet the passengers of the shuttle as they gathered in the hangars, and while Fiona had been a little disappointed that there wouldn't have been a battle (another chance to show the Excellence's capabilities and give more proof of its worth to Earth Federation qualified personnel...), she had been as zealous as her comrades in taking care of the newcomers, making sure they were safe and sound before the journey could continue.

"Well, at least this battle was over before we had to get involved..." Mitsuko said as she and her friends walked back to the main bridge. "I have to say, from what little I could gather, Terminal's new Nu Gundam is a pretty impressive machine! I'd really love to take a look at it!"

"You may just get your chance once we arrive in Londenion..." Lahge answered, pushing his glasses back. "Looks like some Federation bigwig has asked Captain Bright Noah to take him there... him and his spoiled daughter, to boot... and since our ships both had to stop there for refueling and resupplying... well, might as well do what he wants, right?"

"Sure..." Fiona answered, wrinkling her nose in disapproval. "Then again, I am quite shocked that such an important personality would consider a warship such as the Ral Kairam as his personal means of transport. But I guess that's the Feddies for ya."

"Adenauer Paraya. The current ambassador for the New Earth Federatiom." Ruri interjected, turning her captain's seat around when Fiona and her friends approached her. "48 years old, Blue Cosmos sympathizer and an all around impopular person. He's currently on a mission of extreme importance at Londenion, but all information about it is classified. Then again, there's not much I can say about the Atlantic Federation's current president Joseph Copeland either."

"Oh, Captain Hoshino..." Fiona answered, turning to the teenaged captain. She was surprised by how well Ruri could concentrate on her captain duty after what had happened with the Martian Successors and Akito revealing himself... "So... that's the gist of it, huh? I wonder what else does the Federation have to hide..."

Ruri turned back to her screens, just when a comm window opened, Bright's face appearing upon it. "Captain Hoshino... Ral Kairam here. We've finished docking the Mobile Suits, and we are ready to depart whenever you are. I trust the mission at the Amaterasu colonies went off without a hitch."

"The civilians have all been safely taken on board, Captain Noah." Ruri answered. "About the Amaterasu issue, we should be talking about the problem later, as there are quite a few complications behind it. Anyway, we heard about the Luna-5 drop... and we have to apologize for not having been able to support you in the operation. Maybe our intervention could have made a difference."

"Much appreciated, Captain Hoshino..." Bright tried to conceal his still-lingering disappointment over the failure of the stoppage operations, but it was still apparent that his crew's confidence had taken a major blow from that. "Do not concern yourself too much about that - you did not have the chance to lend a hand to us. Anyway, I trust that the new Mobile Suits we are about to receive from Terminal will be enough to counter the threat. The Nu Gundam has already been delivered to us, while the Super G-Fortress and the Gundam MK-4 are about to be finished."

"That's good to know." Ruri concluded. "Very well then... from now on, until our arrival in Londenion, we'll keep communications silent. Over."

"Of course, Captain Hoshino. Over as well."

The communication ended then, and the Nadesico B's bridge was once again wrapped in silence... at least before Ruri began giving the new coordinates for the remainder of the journey. "Then, our course is clear for now. Hari, set the route for Londenion. We'll be following the Ral Karam. All station, remain in yellow alert status. More enemy attacks are possible before the ship arrives in Londenion."

"Yes, Captain..." Hari answered, somewhat dejectedly.

Fiona spared a glance at the Nadesico B's second-in-command, and felt a small pang of sorrow for him. It was plain, to him at least, that Hari had a crush on Ruri, but the silver-haired captain either didn't notice or didn't give the matter the attention she thought it deserved... either way, Hari was feeling left out, which wasn't good in her book...

 **oooooooooo**

Meanwhile, in a whole other place in the Solar System, a shady group of individual was busy scrutinizing a seemingly-incomprehensible jumble of graphs and lines appearing on their computers... computers which were all hooked to the Black Box of Boson Jumping and, by extension, to the woman who had been pretty much sealed alive inside of it. The attitude of most of them could well be described as cold, clinical detachment, as if they weren't even speaking about a human being...

"So, what's going on here?" Haruki Kusakabe asked, glaring in disappointment at the graphics. The plan was not going as smoothly as he had anticipated, all thanks to that accursed Yurika Misumaru struggling with all of her willpower against whatever the Martian Successors were trying to force her to do...

One of the scientists sighed and shook his head. "It's no good, Leader Kusakabe." he said in a raspy voice. "Communication efficiency is diminishing. The subject is resisting all of our external stimulations."

"Get me a visual." Kusakabe ordered. Wordlessly, the scientist opened a sub-screen which consisted of nothing more than a blank yellow field upon which an all-caps word, 'AKITO', was endlessly floating. Kusakabe and his closest loyalists, understanding what that meant, furrowed their brows in displeasure. "Hmph... just as I expected... she's always thinking of her love interest, and this disrupts the Boson Jumping equation... defiant to the very last, that much I have to praise her for."

"Pleasing a princess has always been difficult." Yamasaki cheerfully commented. "We are looking into this at the moment, and we expect to come up with pleasing results in due time. For now, we have determined that her own willpower and her dreams are acting as noise for our interfaces, barring us from performing an effective Boson Jump. We just have to insert some subtle suggestions, in order to... convince her, so to speak... to be more cooperative."

"Knowing is half the battle, huh, Professor Yamasaki?" Aritomo Shinjo, Kusakabe's right-hand-man, commented, glaring at the screens. "Whatever. What we need is simply for her not to resist our orders, and transport our troops where we need them. Force her to do so by any means necessary."

Despite Aritomo's harsh words, Yamasaki was not perturbed in the least, and he crisply saluted his commanding officers, never once losing his cheerful smile. "Will do, Vice-Commander Shinjo. Rest assured that before long, she will be as nice as a little lamb!"

"Good. Make sure you put your money where your mouth is." Kusakabe sternly warned. "Do not forget, ours is a fight for justice. We are doing all of this to flush out corruption from within the Solar System, and to reinstate true righteousness. The New Earth Federation, Terminal, Neo Zeon, ZAFT, LOGOS... they are all decadent and immoral. Only we, the Martian Successors, are the heralds of true justice."

"We know, Leader Kusakabe." Aritomo answered, saluting as well. "This knowledge will drive us to conquering all our enemies, and to avenge all the wrongs we have suffered throughout the years."

Kusakabe smiled thinly, a cruel joy in his eyes as he turned back to the graphs. "That is good. Neither Char, Djibril nor Durandal will usher humanity in a new era. It will be us, the Martian Successors."

 **oooooooooo**

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Author's Note: The Nu Gundam has entered the fray, and we can all see that it's not just for show! Also, we get properly introduced to Quess Paraya and her father Adenauer... which means that one of the most infamous plot threads of Char's Counterattack is coming up next. Hopefully, this story will at least make it more bearable.**

 **I predict we should be able to see the Full Metal Panic cast back in action real soon. This series will play an important part later, just like in SRW V... and indeed, I think it wouldn't be out of place to borrow something of that game's story as well.**

 **Also, expect more screen time for Chan. It seems to me that the poor woman tends to get shafted in SRW, aside from her strong showings in SRW Compact and Compact 3.**

 **That's all I have to say for now. Stay tuned for a new chapter as soon as I can! Sadly, I've had computer problems, and it wasn't easy for me to work on my stories, but I can hopefully solve this problem soon.**

 **See you later!**

 **Lily**


End file.
